Gaza remains a recovery point for possible war crimes, says UN human rights chief

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday that the “painstaking” recovery efforts raised serious questions about compliance with international law, and that war crimes may have been committed.

Turkish Volker called so that investigators are given access to the area. Palestinian authorities say thousands of bodies remain buried under the rubble, but Israel has denied entry to the heavy equipment needed to clear them.

“The remains of what appear to be entire families have now been exhumed at sites destroyed by Israeli attacks,” he said.

“It is sad that the loved ones of those lost for so long, are only now having their worst fears confirmed.”

Possible ‘tip of the iceberg’

The High Commissioner is concerned that the bodies discovered to date “may be just the tip of the iceberg” as “large parts of Gaza have been razed to the ground due to Israeli bombing or demolition and clearing with heavy equipment and explosives.”

In addition, many areas where Israeli troops are deployed “continued to be flattened by bulldozers with no respect for the dead beneath the rubble.”

He stressed the importance of preserving evidence of violations – including at destroyed sites – in light of ongoing legal proceedings regarding hostile behavior in Gaza.

Let the investigator in

The human rights chief called for international investigators to be allowed into the entire Gaza area to help gather evidence and noted that Israel was refusing the entry of heavy equipment to remove debris.

He cited Palestinian civil defense authorities as reporting that more than 630 bodies and other human remains had been recovered from under destroyed buildings in Gaza since November 2025. They also estimated that more than 8,000 people disappeared under the rubble.

“Every possible effort should be made to document and identify these victims, preserve forensic information and biological samples, record their burial locations and notify their families,” he said.

Recovery adds to the suffering

Between June 27 and August 27, local authorities reported finding 233 of 407 bodies believed to be under 20 destroyed buildings, mostly in Gaza City. They included 74 children and 106 women.

This month, the team said they had found 96 bodies and human remains at one location in Az Zeitoun, a neighborhood southeast of Gaza City that was allegedly attacked in November 2023.

Most of the bodies were recovered by hand, among them 58 children and 23 women.

“This painstaking recovery effort is a reminder of how severe and widespread the devastation was three years ago, which is now exacerbated by the prolonged suffering and misery caused by years of ignorance,” Türk said.

“The family’s right to know the fate of their relatives does not end with identification and dignified burial. They have the right to know the full truth.”

Concern about war crimes

In 2024 reportOffice of the High Commissioner, OHCHRhighlighted Israel’s use of heavy bombs up to 2,000 pounds from October 9 to December 2, 2023 against residential buildings, schools, refugee camps, and markets, killing more than 200 people.

The report concluded that the attack may have violated basic principles of international humanitarian law, which require warring parties to adhere to the principles of distinction, proportionality and caution in carrying out attacks.

“On several occasions, I have expressed great concern that Israel’s choice of methods and means of conducting hostilities, including through the extensive use of explosive weapons with widespread impact in densely populated areas, fails to ensure that they effectively differentiate between civilians and combatants,” Türk said.

“The discovery of numerous remains under the ruins of Gaza City reignites concerns about war crimes and other atrocity crimes.”