Israel’s removal of Gaza rubble risk to war crimes evidence: UN

What the report says

The United Nations has warned that Israel’s clearing of rubble in Gaza may destroy material evidence linked to alleged war crimes and could expose states or companies involved in the work to possible international criminal responsibility. The warning, attributed to Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, was reported by Al Jazeera on Monday and comes as Gaza’s reconstruction remains tied to recovery efforts after widespread destruction.

Al Jazeera reported that the concern follows a 2024 order from the International Court of Justice directing Israel to take effective steps to prevent the destruction of evidence related to allegations under the Genocide Convention. Albanese said reconstruction should not come at the cost of erasing the record needed for future justice claims. The article also cited a recent report by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, which argued that debris removal could obscure evidence and potentially aid demographic engineering.

According to the report, the Israeli military carried out a major rubble-clearing operation in August, moving millions of tonnes of debris from multiple sites, including cemeteries and places where human remains are believed to be present. Palestinian authorities estimate that more than 8,000 people may still be buried under the debris, while Israel continues to restrict heavy machinery and forensic supplies needed for recovery.

The issue matters because families in Gaza are still searching for missing relatives and because the handling of rubble may affect both humanitarian recovery and future accountability efforts. Al Jazeera also reported that funeral ceremonies were held in northern Gaza on Sunday for about 100 people whose remains were recovered from destroyed buildings in Gaza City.