Gaza, September 8, 2026: A United Nations expert has warned that the large-scale removal of rubble from Gaza could destroy important evidence needed to investigate alleged war crimes and determine the fate of people still believed to be buried beneath the ruins.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, said on September 7 that rubble should not be cleared before forensic evidence is properly documented and human remains are recovered.

The warning comes as heavy machinery is being used to clear and move enormous quantities of debris across areas of Gaza affected by the war.

Rubble Could Contain Crucial Evidence

Much of the debris across Gaza is the remains of homes, public buildings and other structures destroyed during the conflict. Investigators could potentially find fragments of weapons, structural evidence, personal belongings and human remains within the rubble.

Albanese described the debris as an important material record of the conflict and argued that removing it without proper forensic procedures could make future investigations more difficult.

The concern is particularly significant because thousands of people are still believed to be missing beneath collapsed buildings.

Thousands May Still Be Buried

Gaza authorities have estimated that more than 8,000 people could remain trapped under the debris. Recent recovery operations have demonstrated the scale of the challenge facing teams searching for missing victims.

In one operation completed in Gaza City in early September, rescue teams recovered the remains of 55 Palestinians from beneath a residential building destroyed during an earlier Israeli strike.

Such discoveries have strengthened calls for rubble clearance to be coordinated with systematic searches for human remains.

International Legal Questions

The UN warning also has a legal dimension.

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel in 2024 to take measures aimed at preserving evidence related to allegations arising under the Genocide Convention. Albanese said the destruction or removal of material that could be relevant to investigations could have implications for international criminal accountability.

Her comments concern allegations and potential evidence; they do not constitute a judicial finding that particular individuals or states have committed war crimes.

Israel has previously rejected allegations that its military campaign constitutes genocide and has disputed criticism from Albanese.

Reconstruction Versus Preservation

Clearing the enormous volume of debris is also an urgent humanitarian and reconstruction challenge.

Destroyed neighbourhoods cannot be rebuilt efficiently while streets and construction sites remain buried under concrete and twisted metal. Removing rubble is therefore essential for restoring homes, roads and public infrastructure.

The dispute centres on how that clearance is carried out.

Human-rights experts argue that debris should first be examined, mapped and documented, with human remains carefully recovered before material is transported away or destroyed.

The Scale of Gaza’s Destruction

The quantity of debris left by the conflict is enormous. Earlier estimates cited by rights groups put the amount at tens of millions of tonnes, while Al Jazeera has reported that millions of tonnes have already been crushed or moved from their original locations.

The movement of debris has raised particular concerns where it involves cemeteries and locations where human remains may still be present.

For families searching for missing relatives, the issue goes beyond preserving evidence for courts. Recovering remains can provide identification, allow families to conduct burials and establish what happened to people who disappeared during the conflict.

A Difficult Task Ahead

Gaza faces the enormous task of removing destroyed buildings while simultaneously documenting the consequences of the war.

Forensic teams, humanitarian organisations and local authorities face severe shortages of equipment and resources. Heavy machinery can accelerate clearance, but indiscriminate excavation could also damage evidence or scatter human remains.

A carefully managed process could therefore serve two purposes: helping Gaza begin reconstruction while preserving material that may be essential for future accountability.

The UN warning highlights the tension between those urgent priorities. As Gaza’s rubble is cleared, decisions made now could determine how much physical evidence remains available to investigators and families in the years ahead.