Gaza city: Large-scale removal of rubble in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control cannot become a way to erase traces of atrocity crimes and another means to entrench Israel's illegal occupation, a UN expert said on Monday. 'The ongoing removal, crushing and relocation of rubble in Gaza must not destroy evidence of international crimes or prevent the recovery and identification of human remains in the besieged enclave,' said Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Albanese emphasized the gravity of the situation by highlighting that Gaza's rubble contains human remains and physical evidence crucial for investigating alleged international crimes, including genocide. Citing Palestinian official estimates, she stated that over 10,000 people remain buried under debris, with nearly 70 percent of Gaza subject to access restrictions and varying degrees of Israeli military control.
Albanese revealed having received credible information from multiple sources in August 2026 about an operation involving deliberate and widespread removal, crushing, and transport of rubble. Israeli sources confirmed discussions with Israeli companies over large-scale demolition, rubble removal, and recycling. She stressed that in Gaza, rubble is more than just construction waste; it is part of a crime scene and a graveyard, representing what happened during a two-year bombing campaign.
She urged that before any displacement or crushing decisions are made by the occupying army or its allies, efforts must be taken to recover and identify human remains with dignity, systematically document sites and materials, preserve potentially relevant evidence, and maintain an unbroken chain of custody under independent oversight. Albanese called for international criminal investigators to supervise this critical evidence gathering.
Albanese warned state actors and companies involved in rubble removal that they could incur international criminal responsibility by destroying evidence of international crimes.