Gaza rubble cleared near new Israeli bases — CBC
In the Gaza Strip, Palestine, satellite images recorded the clearing and compaction of rubble in destroyed residential areas where human remains and potential evidence of possible war crimes may have remained. According to an investigation by CBC News, the cleared areas were used to establish new IDF military bases.
Palestinian families told journalists that this work deprives them of the opportunity to find the bodies of relatives who may have remained under the ruins. UN representatives have also expressed concern about the handling of rubble and possible human remains after strikes in Gaza.
Clearing in Shuja'iyya
In the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, satellite images from March 10, 2026, recorded ten excavators and a truck near the home of Dalal Faraj's family. In April, the machinery continued clearing the area west of the house. Images from August 2026 show an Israeli military base on the site of the former neighborhood.
Faraj left her home in October 2023 with her five younger children. Her husband Taha, who was 48, and their 16-year-old son Nasr remained there. After an Israeli strike on the house on October 8, 2023, they did not make contact. The woman said she had been waiting for an opportunity to return to find their remains and rebuild the house.
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Destroyed area in Rafah
Journalists documented another case in an area known as the “Swedish Village” in the Rafah Governorate in southern Gaza. Shaher Mohammed Abu Uda said that after the family home was destroyed, 14 members of his family went missing. Satellite images show that rubble remained at the site at least until June 2026, but by August it was gone and a military base had been established there.
In a response to CBC, the IDF said it dismantles structures and infrastructure due to tactical necessity and to reduce risks to military personnel. The Israeli military also rejected accusations of failing to preserve evidence and conduct an adequate search for remains, saying it treats every recovered body with respect and seriousness. The IDF did not answer a question about the number of bodies found under rubble and returned to Palestinians after last year's ceasefire.
Forensic Architecture researcher Giulia Nuoeno Gitar said the organization had collected more than 2,000 similar incidents and confirmed 43 cases in which people remained under rubble. Janina Dill, an Oxford University professor and expert in international law, said that clearing destroyed areas may comply with international law only if the dead are recovered, identified and buried with dignity, and evidence needed to investigate possible war crimes is preserved.
