Overview
- Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, warned Monday that large-scale removal, crushing and relocation of rubble in Israeli-controlled parts of Gaza could destroy traces of alleged atrocity crimes and stop recovery of human remains.
- The United Nations estimates about 61 million tons of wreckage in Gaza that could take years to clear, and Palestinian authorities say thousands of people remain buried under debris.
- Albanese urged systematic on-site recovery, dignified identification of remains, careful documentation of materials and an unbroken chain of custody under independent oversight before full clearance proceeds.
- She said multiple sources reported that Israeli companies have taken part in clearance operations and added that Israeli government offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment in the cited reporting.
- Albanese’s warning comes after she has repeatedly called for criminal investigations and after she faced diplomatic criticism and US sanctions, raising the prospect that unregulated clearance could hinder future war‑crimes probes and deny families closure.