Gaza Rubble Removal Threatens to Obscure Remains of Missing Persons, Rights Group Warns
The Palestinian Center for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons has warned that the Israeli military's daily removal of hundreds of tons of rubble from destroyed areas in the Gaza Strip risks obscuring the remains of thousands of missing individuals and destroying crucial evidence needed to determine their fate and identities. In a statement released Sunday, the center reported that the Israeli military is conducting "random" rubble removal and fragmentation operations within closed military zones. This process, it stated, leads to the mixing of human remains with waste, threatening their loss and making future DNA testing for victim identification extremely difficult, if not impossible.
The center emphasized that destroyed buildings and sites are not mere debris but serve as temporary graves, crime scenes, and evidence of events in Gaza. Therefore, it argued, handling them requires preservation, documentation, and examination according to standards used in criminal and forensic investigations. The group asserted that the destruction of remains and evidence constitutes a "blatant violation" of the Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocol I, hindering efforts to uncover the fate of the missing, track cases of forced disappearances, and erase evidence related to detention and execution operations.
The Palestinian Center called for urgent international intervention to compel Israel to immediately halt rubble removal, allow forensic experts and rescue teams access to destroyed areas, and facilitate the recovery and preservation of remains, documentation of evidence, and identification of victims. It also issued a warning to civilian companies involved in rubble removal, stating they could face legal and international prosecution if proven to be participating in operations that destroy remains or evidence, as they would be considered complicit in covering up war crimes.
Separately, Gaza recorded 5,493 births against 203 deaths in August, according to the Ministry of Interior's Civil Status Department. This indicates a continued high birth rate despite difficult conditions. Male births accounted for 52.1% of the total. Gaza Governorate had the highest number of births, followed by North Governorate, Khan Younis, Middle Governorate, and Rafah. The death toll included 150 males and 53 females. The figures show a significant surplus of over 5,200 births compared to deaths in August.