GHLands : Israeli heavy machinery continues to demolish and remove rubble from destroyed homes and buildings across parts of the Gaza Strip, particularly in areas located behind what is known as the “Yellow Line.” The operations are taking place largely out of sight of the media and international investigative teams, raising Palestinian and rights-based concerns that evidence linked to Israeli attacks could be erased, while the remains of victims still trapped beneath the rubble and the belongings of displaced families could also be lost.
In northern Gaza, residents of heavily damaged areas report seeing trucks and excavators operating almost daily to break up and transport debris to other locations, with little information available about where the rubble is being taken.
Eighteen-year-old Ahmed Nassar said Israeli machinery operates daily in the Beit Lahia Project area, removing the remains of destroyed homes. He said some areas have already been completely cleared of rubble, while residents have no information about what happened to whatever may have remained beneath it.
Fears of Losing Evidence
Rights advocates warn that removing rubble without proper documentation or independent oversight could result in the loss of physical evidence that may be important to investigations into the attacks carried out across the Gaza Strip.
Attorney Omar Shalouf, from Gaza City, said rubble may contain victims’ remains, fragments of missiles and ammunition, as well as personal belongings. All of these could potentially provide important evidence for documenting and investigating what occurred.
Shalouf, whose parents were killed in an Israeli strike on the Al-Tawabeen area of Gaza City’s Shuja'iyya neighborhood and remain beneath the rubble behind the “Yellow Line,” said he fears that the demolition operations could reach his family home, his parents’ remains and the documents and possessions left inside the house.
He said he is waiting for an opportunity that would allow him to reach the area, recover his parents’ remains and bury them before the machinery removes the rubble.
Missing Remains Buried with the Rubble
Concerns are also growing over the fate of victims whose families and rescue teams have been unable to recover their remains because of continued bombardment and military operations.
One such case is that of Jihan Nazeer Sweilem, who was killed in October 2024 in an airstrike on residential homes in northern Gaza. Because reaching cemeteries was extremely difficult at the time, her family buried her in a temporary cemetery. When they later returned, however, they could no longer find her remains after the area had been bulldozed.
Her cousin, Rami Sweilem, said the family found the site completely transformed. The rubble and the body had disappeared, leaving them with no information about what had happened to her remains.
Medical estimates indicate that thousands of victims remain beneath the rubble across Gaza, while rescue and civil defense teams have recovered hundreds of bodies since the ceasefire began in October 2025.
Areas where rubble removal operations have been reported include parts of northern Gaza, such as Tal al-Zaatar, Abu Khater and several blocks east of Jabalia refugee camp. Demolition and earthmoving operations have also continued in areas behind the “Yellow Line.”
Rubble as the Physical Memory of the City
Architectural experts say the rubble in Gaza is more than just the remains of destroyed buildings; it is also part of the physical memory of the cities and neighborhoods that have been devastated.
Architect Hussein Naim, a researcher specializing in architecture and spatial violence, said that removing rubble without systematic documentation could erase physical evidence showing the scale of destruction and the changes inflicted on Gaza’s urban fabric.
He explained that destroyed buildings and the debris left behind constitute a physical record of the transformations experienced by cities and neighborhoods during the war. Removing these traces before they are documented could make future investigations and research considerably more difficult.
Naim also noted that the destruction of Palestinian villages and towns and the disappearance of their historical features have occurred during earlier periods, arguing that the handling of Gaza’s rubble raises not only humanitarian concerns but also questions about preserving the memory of place.
Massive Urban Destruction
According to local and United Nations estimates, a large proportion of buildings and infrastructure across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged since the war began on October 7, 2023.
The United Nations estimates that around 92% of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, equivalent to approximately 436,000 homes. The amount of rubble generated by the destruction is estimated at around 50 million tons, a massive volume that could take many years to process and remove.
The rubble also has potential economic value beyond its role as evidence of destruction. A significant portion could potentially be recycled and reused in reconstruction once it has been sorted and processed, making it a possible resource during Gaza’s recovery and rebuilding phase.
Personal Belongings Buried Under the Debris
The concerns extend beyond human remains and physical evidence. The belongings of thousands of families remain buried beneath the ruins of homes they were forced to abandon during the bombardment.
Mohammad Shalail, who lived east of Jabalia refugee camp before being displaced to central Gaza, said he fled his home under bombardment in November 2023, leaving behind money, jewelry and personal documents, including identity cards and passports.
He said families have little information about the fate of many of these belongings as demolition and earthmoving operations continue and access to areas behind the “Yellow Line” remains restricted.
Lack of Independent Access and Investigation
The continued restriction on journalists, investigative teams and legal bodies from accessing areas where demolition and rubble-removal operations are taking place has raised further concerns about the ability to document what happened there.
Analysts warn that transporting rubble without independent documentation mechanisms could result in the loss of information about the locations of victims, personal property and the scale of destruction, while making it more difficult to determine the fate of bodies that have yet to be recovered.
As demolition and rubble-removal operations continue, thousands of families in Gaza remain uncertain about the fate of their loved ones and their possessions. Meanwhile, the physical traces of destruction are gradually disappearing from the neighborhoods where the war unfolded, as vast quantities of rubble are removed from the sites of homes and communities.
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