Israeli rubble operations risk erasing Gaza genocide evidence

Shafaq News- Gaza

Large-scale rubble removal in parts of Gaza under Israeli control risks erasing evidence of “atrocity crimes” and preventing the recovery and identification of human remains, United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese warned on Monday.

“Gaza’s rubble contains human remains and physical evidence relevant to the investigation of alleged international crimes, including genocide,” Albanese said in a statement, pointing to estimates from Palestinian authorities that more than 10,000 people remained buried under the debris in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.

Albanese, who was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 but does not speak on behalf of the United Nations, said she had received credible information from multiple sources confirming the involvement of Israeli companies in the rubble removal operation, without disclosing their names.

"Rubble is not just construction waste", she insisted."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."

Israel has not commented on the issue.

Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip began after a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023. The campaign has generated an estimated 61 million tons of debris and rubble, which could take seven years to remove, according to UN estimates.

73,456 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 1,329 since a ceasefire agreed last October, according to Gaza's health ministry.