UN RAPPORTEUR WARNS GAZA RUBBLE REMOVAL RISKS ERASING WAR CRIMES EVIDENCE

Francesca Albanese, United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, warned on Monday that large-scale rubble removal in parts of Gaza under Israeli control risks erasing evidence of alleged international crimes and preventing recovery and identification of human remains. Albanese said she had received credible information from multiple sources in August of "deliberate and widespread removal, crushing and transport of rubble". She stated that Gaza's rubble contains human remains and physical evidence relevant to investigations of alleged international crimes, including genocide. Palestinian authorities estimate that more than 10,000 people remain buried under debris in Gaza.

Albanese, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022, does not speak on behalf of the United Nations. She has faced criticism from Israel and some of its allies over accusations that Israel is committing genocide and other war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. According to Gaza's health ministry, Israel's bombardment and ground offensive has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians. Albanese characterised rubble in the devastated territory as "not just construction waste" but "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".

The warning highlights a central dispute over the handling of physical remains in Gaza. Albanese's statement represents the position of an independent UN expert rather than an institutional finding. The implications of debris removal for forensic investigation and accountability processes remain contested between Israel and international observers monitoring the conflict.