CAIRO, September 17, 2026 (WAFA) – Arab Parliament Speaker Mohamed Al-Yamahi welcomed the call by the UN High Commissioner to document the violations and crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and to conduct independent, effective, and transparent investigations to establish legal responsibility and hold perpetrators accountable.
In a statement issued today, Thursday, Al-Yamahi emphasized that the recovery of hundreds of bodies and human remains—mostly women and children, including entire families—from the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli occupation reveals the magnitude of the humanitarian tragedy and destruction inflicted upon the Gaza Strip, necessitating independent, effective, and transparent investigations.
He noted the High Commissioner’s report regarding the recovery of over 630 bodies and human remains from destroyed buildings since November 2025—at a time when estimates suggest more than 8,000 people remain missing under the debris. This underscores that the rubble in Gaza is not merely wreckage but sites that may contain crucial evidence regarding the grave violations and crimes committed against the Palestinian people.
He stressed that protecting these sites and preserving the evidence within them is both a legal obligation and a fundamental necessity for uncovering the truth and achieving justice. Al-Yamahi called for the preservation of impact sites, forensic evidence, and biological samples; the documentation of victim burial sites and efforts to identify the deceased; and enabling the families of the missing to learn the fate of their loved ones and the full truth regarding the circumstances of their deaths, in accordance with the rules of international law and international humanitarian law.
He emphasized that accountability for grave violations is not a political choice but a necessity for upholding international law and achieving justice for victims. He warned that the passage of time or debris-clearing operations must not become a means to obliterate evidence or undermine prospects for uncovering the truth and ensuring accountability.
He urged the international community to respond urgently to the High Commissioner’s call and to ensure safe, independent, and unrestricted access for international investigators and experts across the Gaza Strip. He also called for enabling competent Palestinian authorities to continue search and body-recovery operations and providing them with the necessary equipment and technical resources to ensure respect for the sanctity of the dead and to uphold the dignity of victims and the rights of their families.
Furthermore, he called upon states and regional and international parliamentary institutions to support documentation and accountability efforts, ensure independent, effective, and transparent investigations into grave violations, and hold those responsible accountable—without selectivity or double standards in the application of international law.
He affirmed that protecting evidence is tantamount to protecting the truth and the memory of the victims, and serves as a fundamental guarantee for achieving justice and preventing impunity. He stressed that the Palestinian people deserve truth, justice, and dignity, and that the rights of victims and their families to know the truth, obtain redress, and see accountability realized are not subject to a statute of limitations.
K.T
