NEW YORK: Large-scale removal of rubble in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza risks erasing evidence of international crimes, including genocide, and further entrenching Israel’s occupation, a UN human rights expert warned Monday. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, said the debris covering much of the enclave is not simply construction waste but “a crime scene, a graveyard, and the material record” of a two-year bombing campaign. Palestinian authorities estimate the remains of more than 10,000 people are buried beneath the rubble. The special rapporteur said the removal, crushing, and relocation of debris “must not destroy evidence of international crimes or prevent the recovery and identification of human remains” in Gaza, where nearly 70 percent of the territory remains under Israeli military access restrictions or control. She tied the rubble-clearing operations to the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion, which found Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful, and to a January 2024 ICJ order directing Israel to preserve evidence relevant to allegations of Genocide Convention breaches. Albanese cited a recent case underscoring the issue. On Aug. 4, Palestinians buried 112 members of a single extended family whose remains were recovered over a 17-day operation from beneath buildings in Gaza City destroyed in a November 2023 strike. She said the remains of 41 others killed in the same strike were never found. The UN expert called for human remains to be recovered and identified, sites systematically documented, evidence preserved, and an unbroken chain of custody maintained under independent oversight before any displacement or crushing operations proceed. She urged that international criminal investigators oversee the process. Albanese warned that state actors and companies involved in rubble removal “could incur international criminal responsibility” if evidence of international crimes is destroyed, naming Caterpillar, HD Hyundai, Doosan, and Volvo as manufacturers of heavy machinery she said has continued to be used for demolition and levelling in Israeli-controlled areas even after the October 2025 ceasefire. The expert said she received credible information in August pointing to a deliberate, widespread operation to remove, crush, and transport rubble, including confirmation from Israeli sources of discussions with Israeli companies over large-scale demolition, removal, and recycling. Citing an earlier report from the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Albanese noted that at least 92 percent of Gaza’s housing units, along with extensive civilian infrastructure, were destroyed or damaged between October 2023 and October 2025 — destruction and displacement that report described as unprecedented in modern warfare. “Any removal must happen in the context of a plan designed by Palestinians and supported by actors who have the trust of Palestinians,” she said. “It is unacceptable that the reconstruction of Gaza is conditioned on the erasure of its past and the evidence required to secure justice for its victims.”