The United Nations' human rights chief, Volker Turk, has sharply criticized Israel's actions in the war-devastated Gaza Strip. According to his statement issued on Tuesday, Israeli bulldozers are operating in destroyed areas with "no respect for the dead." The statement highlighted that the discovery of "extensive" remains has heightened concerns that evidence of war crimes is being destroyed or concealed.
"Much of Gaza has been flattened by Israeli bombing or demolition and clearing by heavy machinery and explosives," Turk said. He warned that areas where the Israeli military remains deployed "continue to be leveled by bulldozers with no respect for the dead under the rubble." The UN human rights chief added that the remains of what appeared to be entire families are being unearthed from sites destroyed during Israeli attacks, and many victims were women and children.
"It is heartbreaking that the loved ones of those missing for so long are only now having their worst fears confirmed," he said. According to UN estimates, Israel's war on Gaza has generated about 61 million tonnes of wreckage and debris. It could take seven years to clear the debris. A US-brokered "ceasefire" in October 2025 has failed to halt regular Israeli strikes, with more than 1,300 Palestinians killed since the "truce" came into effect, according to Gaza officials.
The Palestinian Civil Defence says more than 630 bodies and human remains have been recovered from beneath destroyed buildings across Gaza since November 2025. Palestinian authorities estimate more than 8,000 people remain buried in the wreckage. Turk said he feared the remains recovered so far could be "only the tip of the iceberg."
The UN official also reiterated his concerns over Israel's conduct, including its extensive use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas, which he said failed to effectively distinguish between civilians and fighters. "The discovery of extensive remains under the rubble in Gaza City resurfaces these concerns of war crimes and other atrocity crimes," he added. On September 6, Palestinians in northern Gaza held funerals for about 100 people, including 60 children, whose remains were recovered from the rubble of destroyed buildings. Despite last year's agreement to halt hostilities, the Israeli military continues its operations in Gaza. One Palestinian was killed by sniper fire in the north of the enclave on Tuesday. The man was in the Jabalia refugee camp when he was shot by a sniper positioned on a high-rise crane. At least two other people were killed in an Israeli drone attack on an industrial area of Gaza City, according to a source from the enclave's Ambulance and Emergencies service.
Source: www.aljazeera.com