GENEVA: The United Nations has called for international investigators to be granted access to all parts of Gaza to assist with evidence-gathering as hundreds of human remains are recovered from beneath buildings destroyed during the conflict.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the discovery of extensive remains, including those believed to belong largely to women and children, had renewed concerns over war crimes and other atrocity crimes.
“The remains of what appear to be entire families are now being unearthed,” Türk said, pointing to locations heavily damaged by Israeli attacks.
The UN rights office said international investigators should be allowed into Gaza to document violations and preserve evidence from destroyed sites.
More than 630 bodies recovered
According to the UN rights office, Palestinian Civil Defence has reported recovering more than 630 bodies and human remains from beneath destroyed buildings across Gaza since November last year.
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The agency estimates that more than 8,000 people remain missing under the rubble.
Turk called for efforts to identify victims, preserve forensic information and biological samples, document burial locations and notify relatives.
He warned that the remains recovered so far could represent only a fraction of those still buried beneath the rubble, as large parts of Gaza have been destroyed or cleared using heavy machinery and explosives.
The UN rights chief also raised concerns over ongoing demolition and clearing operations in areas where Israeli forces remain deployed.
The UN said access for international investigators would help establish facts, preserve evidence and support efforts to identify those killed and missing in the conflict.
