A UN expert said on Monday that Israeli clearance of rubble in Gaza could destroy valuable evidence of "atrocity crimes" and prevent the recovery of human remains.
Israel's assault on Gaza — started after the deadly raid into Israel by Hamas in October 2023 — has generated around 61 million tons of wreckage and debris that could take seven years to clear, according to the United Nations.
Francesca Albanese, the UN expert on the Palestinian territories, issued a statement headlined: "UN expert warns Israeli rubble-clearing could erase traces of atrocity crimes" and said Palestinians should be behind any plans to remove waste.
It said her office received information about Israel's "deliberate and widespread removal, crushing and transport of rubble" in August. Albanese said evidence should be gathered, and human remains identified before full clearance starts.
"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,” she said in the release.
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