The United Nations on Tuesday urged that international investigators be granted access to all areas of Gaza to collect evidence, as hundreds of bodies have been recovered from beneath the rubble three years into the conflict.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stated that “the remains of what appear to be entire families are now being uncovered at sites destroyed by Israeli airstrikes,” emphasizing that “the discovery of extensive remains beneath the rubble in Gaza City raises concerns about war crimes and other atrocities.”
“I fear the remains recovered so far may only represent a fraction of the actual number,” Turk added, noting that “vast areas of Gaza have been reduced to rubble by Israeli bombing or demolition using heavy machinery and explosives.”
“Currently, many regions where the Israeli military is stationed continue to be flattened by bulldozers without regard for the deceased beneath the debris,” he warned.
In light of these developments, Turk called for “international investigators to be allowed access to the territory to gather evidence,” as reported by the UN Human Rights Office.
The office further stated that “Palestinian authorities report thousands of bodies remain buried under rubble, yet Israel is blocking the entry of heavy equipment necessary to clear the debris.”
The UN Human Rights Office revealed that the Palestinian Civil Defence has recovered over 630 bodies and other human remains from destroyed buildings across the Gaza Strip between November 2025 and September 2026. The organization estimates that more than 8,000 individuals are still missing beneath the rubble.
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