CAIRO, September 16, 2026 (WAFA) - The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States welcomed on Wednesday the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s call to allow international investigators access to all parts of the genocide-stricken Gaza Strip to help collect and preserve evidence, amid the continued recovery of hundreds of bodies and human remains from beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings.

The General Secretariat stressed the importance of Türk’s call in light of what the recovery operations have revealed regarding the deaths of victims, including women, children, and entire families, in circumstances that require documentation and investigation in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law, particularly given the High Commissioner's serious concerns over the possibility that serious violations, including war crimes, may have been committed by Israeli forces.

It stressed that preserving evidence related to Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law constitutes a legal obligation and a necessity for ensuring justice. The removal of rubble or the passage of time must not prevent evidence from being accessed and independently and professionally documented.

It underscored the importance of responding promptly to the High Commissioner's call and enabling international investigators and relevant authorities to have safe and unhindered access to all parts of the Gaza Strip, including destroyed sites, to collect and preserve evidence, identify victims, preserve forensic information and biological samples, record burial locations and inform families of the fate of their loved ones.

It also stressed that families of missing persons have the right to know the fate of their loved ones, identify and bury their remains, and know the full truth about what happened to them and the circumstances and conditions that led to their deaths.

It also affirmed that evidence must be preserved and documented in accordance with relevant international standards in a manner that ensures its integrity and chain of custody, safeguards the rights of victims and their families, and enables international investigative and accountability mechanisms to carry out their mandates without obstruction.

The General Secretariat called on the international community to provide the necessary support to the relevant Palestinian authorities to enable them to continue search and recovery operations and the retrieval of bodies and human remains, and to ensure the delivery of the equipment and machinery needed to reach affected sites, with full respect for the sanctity of the dead, the dignity of victims, and the rights of their families.

It stressed the need to ensure that perpetrators do not enjoy impunity and the importance of conducting independent, transparent, and effective investigations into acts that may constitute grave violations, and holding perpetrators accountable in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.

It further affirmed that preserving evidence today means protecting the truth and the rights of victims, and constitutes a fundamental safeguard for ensuring justice and accountability. It noted that the international community is required to take the necessary steps to ensure that evidence is not destroyed or lost, and to enable international investigative mechanisms to access the Gaza Strip and carry out their duties independently and effectively.

K.F.