The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, reported today that the painstaking efforts to recover large amounts of human remains in Gaza, most of them children and women, nearly three years after their homes were hit by heavy Israeli bombardment, highlight serious concerns about compliance with international law and the potential commission of grave violations, including war crimes.
He said: “Today, remains believed to be those of entire families are being recovered from sites crushed by Israeli attacks. It is heartbreaking that the worst fears of the families of those who have been missing all this time are only being confirmed now.”
He added: “I fear that the remains recovered so far are just the tip of the iceberg. Israeli bombings or demolition and earthmoving operations using heavy machinery and explosives have flattened large parts of Gaza. Even today, bulldozers are leveling many areas in Gaza where the Israeli army is present, without any respect for the dead buried under the rubble.”
