The retrieval of numerous bodies from the debris of buildings that were obliterated by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza during the conflict that began nearly three years ago has sparked renewed worries regarding potential war crimes, the United Nations human rights chief stated on Tuesday.
Volker Türk mentioned that what seemed to be entire families were being discovered at locations devastated by Israeli bombardments, noting that a significant number of those who perished were women and children.
“It is truly heartbreaking that the families of those missing for such a long time are only now having their deepest fears confirmed,” he remarked in a statement.
He indicated that these findings revived concerns expressed in a 2024 UN report, which suggested that Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings and other civilian sites during the initial weeks of the conflict may have breached international humanitarian law.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York, accused Türk of overlooking Hamas’s abuses and prematurely blaming Israel before establishing the facts.
“Hamas integrated itself among civilians, operated from civilian locations, and constructed its terror infrastructure beneath them. Yet somehow, in Mr. Türk’s account, Hamas vanishes and only Israel is held accountable,” he stated.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and Foreign Ministry did not respond promptly to a request for comment. Israel has consistently denied accusations of intentionally targeting civilians, asserting that its actions against Hamas militants in Gaza have adhered to international law.
In early August, mourners assembled in a neighborhood of Gaza City where it has taken almost three years to recover the remains of 112 individuals, who lost their lives due to an Israeli airstrike. Surviving members of the Abu Sharia and Hasayna families expressed that they have long been searching alongside Gaza’s Civil Defence crews for their loved ones, but efforts have been hampered by a lack of heavy machinery in the war-ravaged area.
Israel’s offensive on Gaza—initiated following Hamas’s lethal incursion into Israel in October 2023—has resulted in approximately 61 million tons of debris and wreckage, which could take up to seven years to clear, as reported by the United Nations.
A ceasefire facilitated by the U.S. ended large-scale hostilities in October 2025, but has not stopped ongoing Israeli strikes, with both parties accusing each other of breaching the ceasefire agreement.
The Palestinian Civil Defence reports that over 630 bodies and human remains have been extracted from under collapsed structures across Gaza since November 2025.
Palestinian officials estimate that more than 8,000 individuals are still interred in the rubble.
Türk expressed his concerns that the remains found thus far might represent “only the tip of the iceberg,” emphasizing that vast sections of Gaza had been leveled by Israeli bombings or subsequent demolition and clearance operations.
He also accused Israel of continuing to demolish certain regions of Gaza where its forces remain active, asserting that bulldozers were operating “with no regard for the deceased beneath the debris.”
Israeli restrictions hindering recovery operations
Ajith Sunghay, the head of the UN human rights office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stated that Israeli limitations on essential items like DNA kits and excavators are obstructing recovery and identification efforts.
“The cumulative impact of Israel’s actions is rendering any systematic, large-scale search, recovery, and identification work nearly impossible,” he mentioned during a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
At times, Palestinian teams have had to sift through debris using only their hands, he added.
Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to the UN’s claims regarding supply restrictions. Israel’s COGAT military agency, which oversees access to Gaza, has previously defended longstanding restrictions on items that it claimed could be utilized for a “terrorist buildup.”
According to Israeli figures, the 2023 Hamas-led assaults resulted in 1,200 fatalities in Israel, while an additional 251 individuals were taken hostage.
In the course of Israel’s military campaign, Gaza health authorities report that more than 73,000 Palestinians have lost their lives.
Israel contends that it has taken extensive measures to prevent civilian casualties and asserts that Hamas employs Gaza’s civilians as human shields in densely populated regions—an allegation that Hamas refutes.
The UN rights chief has urged for international investigators to be allowed access to all areas of Gaza to aid in the preservation of evidence, referencing ongoing legal inquiries examining conduct during the conflict.
Türk’s statement indicated that Israel has obstructed the entry of heavy machinery necessary for rubble removal.
Francesca Albanese, the UN expert on the Palestinian territories, has stated that evidence should be collected and human remains identified before any comprehensive clearance operations commence.
This month, the Palestinian Civil Defence reported that 96 bodies and human remains were recovered from a single site in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City, including 58 children and 23 women.