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Hamas Says Israel Seeks to Erase Evidence of Gaza War Crimes
(MENAFN) Hamas accused Israel on Monday of trying to remove evidence of alleged crimes in Gaza by clearing, crushing and relocating debris from destroyed areas where the remains of thousands of missing Palestinians are believed to be buried.
The Palestinian group said the ongoing operations could destroy physical evidence and traces connected to the deaths and destruction witnessed across the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Hamas warned of “attempts by the occupation government and its army to conceal evidence of the brutal crimes committed against our people in the Gaza Strip through the removal, crushing and transportation of rubble.”
It said the work was continuing despite the possibility that “the bodies of thousands of missing people and material evidence of the crimes of genocide committed by the occupation over two years” could still be located beneath the debris.
Hamas argued that disturbing locations where bodies and potential evidence may remain “constitutes a violation of international law and the International Court of Justice’s order to preserve evidence.”
It also described the practice as “an assault on the dignity of the martyrs and the right of their families to recover and bury the bodies of their loved ones.”
The group welcomed concerns raised by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who warned that removing, crushing and transporting rubble could contribute to the disappearance of evidence linked to "atrocity crimes" in Gaza.
Hamas urged the UN, the International Criminal Court and other relevant organizations to “take urgent action to protect these sites.”
It further called for international investigators and forensic specialists to be granted access to Gaza so they could supervise the recovery of human remains while documenting and securing possible evidence.
At the same time, Hamas stressed that clearing destroyed areas and beginning reconstruction remained “an urgent humanitarian and national necessity and an inherent right of our people.”
It said the process should be conducted “in a manner that ensures the recovery of the bodies of missing people and the preservation of evidence while preventing the occupation from exploiting these operations to conceal evidence of its crimes and evade accountability.”
Earlier, a Geneva-based rights organization raised concerns over operations to demolish, crush and remove debris from destroyed structures in parts of Gaza under Israeli military control, saying Israeli civilian companies were involved.
The organization estimated that at least 10 million tons of rubble had been removed, crushed or moved from its original locations in areas it said were controlled by Israeli forces, covering roughly two-thirds of the Gaza Strip.
It also said it had recorded approximately 100 Israeli trucks carrying debris out of Gaza each day during the weeks before its warning, while about 400 vehicles involved in demolition, crushing and transportation were reportedly active in eastern and southern Gaza.
According to Palestinian figures, Israel’s two-year military campaign in Gaza killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 174,000.
More than 9,000 Palestinians are still reported missing, while extensive damage has left civilian infrastructure across the enclave severely devastated.
The Palestinian group said the ongoing operations could destroy physical evidence and traces connected to the deaths and destruction witnessed across the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Hamas warned of “attempts by the occupation government and its army to conceal evidence of the brutal crimes committed against our people in the Gaza Strip through the removal, crushing and transportation of rubble.”
It said the work was continuing despite the possibility that “the bodies of thousands of missing people and material evidence of the crimes of genocide committed by the occupation over two years” could still be located beneath the debris.
Hamas argued that disturbing locations where bodies and potential evidence may remain “constitutes a violation of international law and the International Court of Justice’s order to preserve evidence.”
It also described the practice as “an assault on the dignity of the martyrs and the right of their families to recover and bury the bodies of their loved ones.”
The group welcomed concerns raised by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who warned that removing, crushing and transporting rubble could contribute to the disappearance of evidence linked to "atrocity crimes" in Gaza.
Hamas urged the UN, the International Criminal Court and other relevant organizations to “take urgent action to protect these sites.”
It further called for international investigators and forensic specialists to be granted access to Gaza so they could supervise the recovery of human remains while documenting and securing possible evidence.
At the same time, Hamas stressed that clearing destroyed areas and beginning reconstruction remained “an urgent humanitarian and national necessity and an inherent right of our people.”
It said the process should be conducted “in a manner that ensures the recovery of the bodies of missing people and the preservation of evidence while preventing the occupation from exploiting these operations to conceal evidence of its crimes and evade accountability.”
Earlier, a Geneva-based rights organization raised concerns over operations to demolish, crush and remove debris from destroyed structures in parts of Gaza under Israeli military control, saying Israeli civilian companies were involved.
The organization estimated that at least 10 million tons of rubble had been removed, crushed or moved from its original locations in areas it said were controlled by Israeli forces, covering roughly two-thirds of the Gaza Strip.
It also said it had recorded approximately 100 Israeli trucks carrying debris out of Gaza each day during the weeks before its warning, while about 400 vehicles involved in demolition, crushing and transportation were reportedly active in eastern and southern Gaza.
According to Palestinian figures, Israel’s two-year military campaign in Gaza killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 174,000.
More than 9,000 Palestinians are still reported missing, while extensive damage has left civilian infrastructure across the enclave severely devastated.
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