UN: Israel Bulldozing Gaza, Destroying War Crimes Evidence — SkimNews
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- Volker Turk said Israel is bulldozing areas in Gaza with "no respect for the dead under the rubble," warning that clearance operations risk destroying evidence of war crimes and other atrocity crimes.
- Remains of entire families — including women, children, and persons with disabilities — are being unearthed from sites destroyed during Israeli attacks, with the UN chief noting the remains recovered so far could be "only the tip of the iceberg."
- Palestinian Civil Defence has recovered more than 630 bodies from beneath destroyed buildings across Gaza since November 2025, while Palestinian authorities estimate more than 8,000 people remain buried in the wreckage.
- Israel's bombardment and demolition of Gaza has generated approximately 61 million tonnes of debris, which the UN estimates could take seven years to clear.
- The US-brokered October 2025 ceasefire has failed to halt violence — more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect, according to Gaza officials.
- Turk reiterated concerns over Israel's extensive use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas, saying it fails to effectively distinguish between civilians and fighters.
- On September 6, Palestinians in northern Gaza held funerals for about 100 people, including 60 children, whose remains were recovered from the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Why it matters: With more than 8,000 people estimated still buried under 61 million tonnes of wreckage and entire families' remains being unearthed, the active destruction of sites that may contain evidence of unlawful killings threatens to foreclose future accountability proceedings. The UN's specific evidence-destruction language — not just ceasefire-violation language — escalates the framing of Israel's clearance operations from humanitarian crisis to potential obstruction of justice.
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