UN urges access for international investigators to Gaza after bodies found

GENEVA: The United Nations has urged international investigators to be granted access to all of Gaza to aid with evidence-gathering efforts, as hundreds of bodies are being recovered from the rubble. This comes three years after Israel's heavy bombing of Gaza, leaving extensive human remains scattered across the territory. UN rights chief Volker Turk expressed concern that the recovered remains may only represent the "tip of the iceberg," given the vast destruction caused by Israeli attacks.

He called for international investigators to be permitted into every part of Gaza to assist with evidence collection. The Palestinian Civil Defence reported that over 630 bodies and other human remains have been recovered from destroyed buildings since November, with the total number of missing estimated at over 8,000. Turk emphasized the need to document and identify these victims, preserve forensic evidence, and inform their families.

The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, which began in October 2023 following a Hamas attack, has resulted in over 73,000 Palestinian deaths, including more than 1,350 since the ceasefire in October.