UN Expert Warns Gaza Rubble Removal Must Not Erase Evidence Of International Crimes

Amman, Sept. 7 (Petra) -- United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 Francesca Albanese on Monday called for rubble removal operations in areas of the Gaza Strip under Israeli military control not to become a "means of erasing traces" of crimes.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Albanese said in a statement Monday that the removal, crushing and transfer of rubble in Gaza must not result in the destruction of evidence of international crimes or prevent the recovery and identification of human remains.

"The rubble in Gaza contains human remains and important material evidence for investigations into allegations of international crimes," she said.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounded 174,000 others since October 2023, according to figures issued by the territory's Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.

Citing Palestinian authorities, Albanese said more than 10,000 people were believed to remain buried beneath the rubble, while around 70 percent of Gaza's territory was subject to "access restrictions and varying degrees of Israeli military control." Albanese noted that the International Court of Justice in January 2024 ordered Israel to take measures to prevent the destruction of evidence and ensure its preservation in connection with accusations of violations of the Genocide Convention.

She said she had received "credible information" in August from multiple sources pointing to an operation involving the "deliberate and large-scale removal, crushing, and transfer of rubble." The UN expert said the rubble in the devastated Gaza Strip was "part of a crime scene and a graveyard" and constituted physical evidence of what had occurred during a "brutal and indiscriminate bombing campaign" that had lasted two years.

She called for human remains to be recovered and identified with dignity and for sites and materials to be systematically documented and evidence preserved before the rubble was removed or destroyed.

Albanese stressed that government entities and companies involved in the removal operation should be aware that they could face criminal accountability if they destroyed evidence of international crimes.

//Petra// AF

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