Gaza remains recovery points to possible war crimes, says UN rights chief

Bodies are still being pulled from the rubble of Gaza, three years after Israeli bombardment flattened entire neighbourhoods – most of them women and children. The UN Human Rights High Commissioner said on Tuesday that this “painstaking” recovery effort raises serious questions about compliance with international law, and that war crimes may have been committed. Volker Türk called for investigators to be given access to the territory. Palestinian authorities say thousands of bodies remain buried under rubble, but Israel is refusing entry to the heavy machinery needed to clear it. “The remains of what appears to be entire families are now being unearthed at locations that were pulverized by Israeli attacks,” he said. “It is heartbreaking that the loved ones of those missing for so long are only now having their worst fears confirmed.” Possible ‘tip of the iceberg’The High Commissioner worried that remains recovered to date “may only be the tip of the iceberg” because “much of Gaza has been flattened by Israeli bombing or demolition and clearing by heavy machinery and explosives.” Furthermore, many areas where Israeli troops are deployed “continue to be levelled by bulldozers with no...