GENEVA, September 7, 2026 (WAFA) - Large-scale removal of rubble in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control cannot become a way to erase traces of atrocity crimes and another means to entrench Israel’s illegal occupation, a UN expert said on Monday.
“The ongoing removal, crushing and relocation of rubble in Gaza must not destroy evidence of international crimes or prevent the recovery and identification of human remains in the besieged enclave,” said Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
“The implications are profound. Gaza’s rubble contains human remains and physical evidence relevant to the investigation of alleged international crimes, including genocide,” Albanese said.
Citing Palestinian official estimates, Albanese said that more than 10,000 people remain buried under the debris and that nearly 70 percent of Gaza subject to access restrictions and varying degrees of Israeli military control.
She noted that the possibility of recovering human remains in the Gaza rubble is far from theoretical, revealing that she received credible information from multiple sources in August 2026, exposing an operation involving deliberate and widespread removal, crushing and transport of rubble, with Israeli sources confirming discussions with Israeli companies over large-scale demolition, rubble removal and recycling.
“In devastated Gaza, rubble is not just construction waste. It is part of a crime scene, a graveyard, and the material record of what happened during a brutal and senseless bombing campaign that lasted two years,” the Special Rapporteur said.
“It is vital that before decisions are made on displacement or crushing by the occupying army or its allies, the recovery and dignified identification of human remains, systematic documentation of sites and materials, preservation of potentially relevant evidence, and an unbroken chain of custody under independent oversight must take place,” she added. She called for international criminal investigators to oversee this vital evidence gathering.
“State actors and companies involved in its removal should take note that by destroying evidence of international crimes, they could incur international criminal responsibility in connection to those crimes,” Albanese warned.
K.F.
