UN demands Israel allow investigators into Gaza to collect evidence

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called on Israel to let international investigators into Gaza to gather evidence as bodies are recovered from the rubble.

• Türk said Israeli bulldozers are leveling areas where the army is deployed "without any respect for the dead still under the rubble."
• The UN Human Rights Office said at least 8,000 people remain missing across Gaza, with most recovered remains being women and children.
• The office said evidence of violations of international law during Israeli attacks must be preserved and those responsible held accountable.
• The UN said relatives of victims have the right to bury their family members with dignity.
• Gaza's civil defense recovered over 630 bodies from under the rubble between November 2025 and September 2026.
• The Gaza Health Ministry said the cumulative death toll since October 7, 2023, reached about 73,789, with 174,798 wounded.
• Türk warned that the recovered remains might be only the tip of the iceberg, with thousands more still buried under the rubble.
• The UN estimated that 61 million tonnes of debris in Gaza could take seven years to clear.