Amnesty International, Euro-Med say Israel trucks Gaza rubble to destroy evidence
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Amnesty International and Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor say Israel is carrying out a systematic operation to crush and truck millions of tonnes of rubble from Gaza to undisclosed sites in Israel and the occupied West Bank. Euro-Med estimates 68 million tonnes of rubble across the enclave and says at least 10 million tonnes have already been removed from areas under Israeli military control, while Amnesty says the operations could destroy evidence of crimes.
Rubble Removal Operation
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimates 68 million tonnes of rubble across the Gaza Strip, much of it from Israel’s war on the enclave. At least 10 million tonnes have been removed, crushed or moved from original sites in areas under Israeli military control, which cover about two-thirds of Gaza. About 400 heavy excavation, crushing and transport machines are demolishing remaining structures, and nearly 100 Israeli trucks leave Gaza daily for undisclosed sites in Israel and the occupied West Bank, according to the report.
Evidence Destruction Claims
Amnesty International researcher Budour Hassan said the bulldozing is part of attempts to destroy land in Gaza City and the wider Strip, and that the operations may be aimed at obliterating and hiding evidence. Mohammed Salha, director of the NGO Network in Gaza, said the debris contains missile fragments, ammunition and personal belongings that are crucial for future accountability, and that Israel is moving and fragmenting it to erase facts. Preventing access to such evidence is a direct challenge to the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has brought a genocide case against Israel with support from numerous nations. The claims follow a war that has killed at least 73,387 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.
What's Next
The International Court of Justice continues to hear South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, with evidence from Gaza rubble potentially central to any future ruling. It remains unclear whether Israeli authorities will halt the removals or grant independent investigators access to the undisclosed sites where debris is being taken.
1 source
Amnesty International, Euro-Med say Israel trucks Gaza rubble to destroy evidence
