'Rubble is a crime scene': UN expert warns Israel could wipe out evidence of Gaza atrocities

A UN expert has said that Israeli clearance of rubble in Gaza could destroy valuable evidence of "atrocity crimes" and prevent the recovery of human remains. Israel's genocide in Gaza has generated around 61 million tonnes of wreckage and debris that could take seven years to clear, according to the United Nations. Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, said on Monday that evidence should be gathered and human remains identified before full clearance starts. She 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. In January 2024, the ICJ ordered Israel to take effective measures to prevent the destruction of and ensure the preservation of evidence relating to allegations of breaches of the Genocide Convention. "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. She said that multiple sources had confirmed Israeli companies were involved in the clearance, without naming those sources. Albanese warned that through the use of heavy machinery, demolition and levelling have continued in areas under Israeli occupation.