A UN expert warns that large-scale clearance, crushing and relocation of rubble in Gaza could erase evidence relevant to alleged “atrocity crimes” and prevent the recovery and identification of human remains. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, says evidence-gathering and identification should happen before full clearance begins.
Albanese makes the warning in a statement, arguing that in devastated Gaza rubble functions as part of a crime scene and a physical record of what happened during the bombing campaign and ground operations. Multiple outlets also report her claim that several sources have confirmed Israeli companies are involved in the clearance, though she does not name them in the cited accounts. Some reports mention the scale of debris described by the UN, including estimates of tens of millions of tons requiring years to clear.
While the outlets largely agree on the substance of Albanese’s warning, they vary in the details they highlight—such as whether they emphasize the risk to forensic recovery, the role of rubble as evidence, or the reported involvement of companies and the overall volume of debris.
