Gaza: Challenges in Identifying Victims Amidst Rubble

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that the chances of identifying victims in Gaza are diminishing as crucial evidence is lost under the rubble of destroyed buildings. The ICRC spokesperson in Jerusalem, Patrick Yaghi, highlighted the increasing difficulties in recovering bodies and identifying victims due to unexploded ordnance and the slow pace of debris removal.

The systematic destruction of Gaza's medical infrastructure has forced workers to rely more on primitive means to identify victims, with the necessary capabilities to do so declining. This situation leaves families of the missing in an open-ended wait, as recovering a body does not guarantee identifying it, given the loss of evidence and damage to the medical system responsible for examination and documentation.

This warning comes amidst significant challenges in clearing Gaza's rubble. According to estimates by the United Nations Development Programme in September, the rubble may contain between 8,000 and 10,000 bodies, with the total amount of debris reaching approximately 61 million tons. The programme noted coordination with entities, including the ICRC, to prioritize the locations of remains and ensure they are handled respectfully and documented for families.

The need to exhume bodies extends beyond the humanitarian aspect to preserving evidence. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, warned in early September that the removal of rubble by the occupying forces could obscure evidence of potential atrocities and hinder the recovery of human remains. She emphasized the need to collect criminal evidence and identify remains before proceeding with the comprehensive removal of debris.

Under these conditions, time becomes an additional factor in the tragedy of the missing. Families await news of their loved ones, while teams struggle to reach them under the rubble, and the evidence that could return names to the bodies erodes.

**Context:** The situation in Gaza underscores the broader humanitarian crisis and the challenges of post-conflict recovery, particularly in identifying victims and preserving evidence for potential legal proceedings. The systematic destruction of infrastructure and the presence of unexploded ordnance exacerbate these challenges, highlighting the need for international support and coordination in addressing the crisis.