Hamas warns Israel attempting to destroy evidence of ‘genocidal crimes’ in Gaza

“This is being done through the removal, crushing, and transfer of rubble, while the remains of thousands of missing persons and physical evidence of the genocidal crimes perpetrated by the occupation over the past two years remain,” the Palestinian group said in a statement on Telegram.

Hamas said tampering with these sites violates international law and the International Court of Justice’s ruling calling for evidence to be preserved. It cited a warning from United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese that rubble removal could erase traces of serious crimes in Gaza.

Hamas called on the UN and International Criminal Court to deploy investigators and forensic experts to oversee the recovery of remains and preservation of evidence, reports AL Jazeera.

It said rubble removal and reconstruction remain an “urgent humanitarian and national necessity” but should be done in a way that prevents Israel from “exploiting these operations to conceal its crimes and evade accountability”.