Key facts
- UN human rights chief Volker Turk raised concerns about possible war crimes due to the recovery of hundreds of bodies from Gaza rubble.
- The remains, believed to be entire families including women and children, were unearthed from sites destroyed by Israeli strikes.
- A 2024 UN report found that early Israeli strikes on residential buildings may have violated international humanitarian law.
- Israel has rejected allegations of deliberately targeting civilians and states it acted in accordance with international law.
- The Palestinian Civil Defence has recovered over 630 bodies and human remains since November 2025.
- Palestinian authorities estimate over 8,000 people remain buried in the wreckage.
The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, has expressed grave concerns about potential war crimes following the discovery of hundreds of bodies from the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. The ongoing recovery efforts, which began nearly three years ago, have unearthed the remains of what appear to be entire families, with many victims identified as women and children.
Turk stated that these discoveries revive concerns previously raised in a 2024 UN report. That report questioned whether Israeli strikes on residential buildings and civilian sites in the early weeks of the war may have violated international humanitarian law. The Israeli Prime Minister's office and Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israel has consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians, asserting that its actions in Gaza were in accordance with international law while combating Hamas militants.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza, launched after the Hamas raid in October 2023, has resulted in an estimated 61 million tons of wreckage and debris, with UN estimates suggesting it could take seven years to clear. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October 2025 ended full-scale fighting, but regular Israeli strikes have continued, with both sides accusing each other of truce violations.
The Palestinian Civil Defence reports that over 630 bodies and human remains have been recovered from beneath destroyed buildings across Gaza since November 2025. Palestinian authorities estimate that more than 8,000 people are still buried in the wreckage. Turk fears that the recovered remains represent only a fraction of the total, given that large areas of Gaza have been flattened by Israeli bombing or subsequent demolition and clearance operations. He also accused Israel of continuing to level areas where its forces are deployed, operating bulldozers without regard for the dead beneath the rubble.
The Hamas-led attacks in October 2023 resulted in 1,200 deaths in Israel and 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli figures. Gaza health authorities report that over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign. Israel maintains it has made significant efforts to avoid civilian casualties, while accusing Hamas of using Gaza's population as human shields in densely populated areas, an accusation Hamas denies.
Turk has called for international investigators to be granted access to all parts of Gaza to aid in evidence preservation, citing ongoing legal proceedings related to the war. According to Turk's statement, Israel has obstructed the entry of heavy machinery necessary for rubble removal. Francesca Albanese, the UN expert on Palestinian territories, has advocated for gathering evidence and identifying human remains before commencing full clearance operations. This month, the Palestinian Civil Defence reported recovering 96 bodies and human remains, including 58 children and 23 women, from a single site in Gaza City's Zeitoun area.