Gaza Genocide08 September, 20263 min read
UN Expert Warns Israel’s Gaza Rubble Clearance Could Destroy Atrocity Evidence
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Gaza rubble totals about 61 million tons and could take seven years to clear. Francesca Albanese warns debris removal could erase evidence of crimes and hinder recovery of remains.
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Rubble as evidence
A UN expert warned on Monday that Israeli clearance of rubble in Gaza could destroy valuable evidence of “atrocity crimes” and prevent the recovery of human remains, as Israel’s assault on Gaza began after the deadly raid into Israel by Hamas in October 2023.
Reuters reported that the conflict has generated around 61 million tons of wreckage and debris that could take seven years to clear, and that Francesca Albanese said evidence should be gathered and human remains identified before full clearance started.
Albanese said in her statement that “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,” linking the handling of debris to the preservation of traces from a two-year campaign.
The warning came as Hamas said it appreciated Albanese’s warning and urged that the rubble be removed in a manner that “ensures the recovery of the remains of missing persons and the preservation of evidence.”
UN expert’s warning
Francesca Albanese, the UN expert on the Palestinian territories, said Palestinians should be behind any plans to remove waste, and she warned that multiple sources had confirmed Israeli companies were involved in the clearance without naming those sources. Al Jazeera’s report framed the issue as a risk to war crimes evidence, quoting Albanese warning that states and companies removing rubble “could incur international criminal responsibility” for destroying evidence of crimes committed during Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.
The Anadolu Ajansı account said Albanese stressed that “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,” and it tied the warning to the need for systematic documentation and preservation before rubble is moved or crushed. Albanese also pointed to the International Court of Justice’s order in January 2024 to take measures to prevent the destruction of evidence and to ensure its preservation regarding allegations of violations of the Genocide Convention.
What’s at stake next
The UN warning was anchored in casualty and missing-person figures cited across the reports, including that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign according to Gaza health authorities and that Palestinian authorities estimate more than 8,000 people remain buried in the wreckage. Reuters also reported that a Palestinian recovery team that combed through the wreckage in Gaza City last month said it found the remains of 112 people from the same clan, underscoring the stakes of whether remains can be recovered before debris is cleared.
Al Jazeera added that Raed al-Dahshan, the head of Gaza’s civil defence service, told Al Jazeera that with proper equipment recovering remains from under the rubble could be completed in about 90 days, but it could take years without it. Anadolu Ajansı further warned that any removal must happen in the context of a plan designed by Palestinians and supported by actors who have the trust of Palestinians, and it said Albanese argued that “Destroying evidence of atrocity crimes is illegal,” while Gaza’s reconstruction must not be “conditioned upon the erasure of its past and the evidence required to secure justice for its victims.”