Israeli clearance of Gaza rubble could destroy evidence of 'atrocity crimes,' says UN expert | CBC News

UN estimates Gaza has ​61 million tons of rubble; Palestinians say more than 8,000 people buried in debris

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 started.

"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.

She said that multiple sources had confirmed Israeli companies were involved in the clearance, without naming those sources. Her office did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters on where that information had come from.

Israel's Foreign ⁠Ministry, its prime minister's office and military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, all have fiercely disagreed with Albanese, who has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Israel's military actions in Gaza.

In ‌February, Germany, France and Italy all condemned what they said were her overly negative statements about Israel, though she denied making the remarks they cited.

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In July last year, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Albanese over what it said were her efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to take action against U.S. ​and Israeli officials, companies and executives.