Israeli clearance of Gaza rubble could destroy 'evidence', says UN expert

She issued a statement headlined: "UN expert warns Israeli ⁠rubble-clearing could erase traces of atrocity crimes" and said Palestinians should be behind any plans to remove waste. "In devastated Gaza, rubble is not just construction waste.

It is part of a crime scene, a graveyard, and the material record of what happened during a brutal and senseless bombing campaign that lasted two years,” she said. She said that multiple sources had confirmed Israeli companies were involved in the clearance, without naming those sources.

Her office did not immediately respond to questions on where that information had come from. Israel's Foreign Ministry, its Prime Minister's Office and military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, all have fiercely disagreed with Albanese, who has emerged as one of the most ⁠vocal critics of Israel's military actions in Gaza.

In February, Germany, France and Italy all condemned what they said were her overly negative statements about Israel, though she denied making the remarks they cited. In July last year, the US imposed sanctions on Albanese over what it said were her efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to take action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.

UN experts are ⁠commissioned by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to monitor and document specific human rights crises but are independent of the organisation itself. The 2023 Hamas-led attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel while another 251 were taken hostage,.

More than 73,000 Palestinians have ⁠been killed in Israel's military campaign,.