The recovery of hundreds of bodies from the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza that began nearly three years ago has raised fresh concerns about possible war crimes, the United Nations human rights chief said on Tuesday.

Volker Turk said the remains of what appeared to be entire families were being unearthed from sites destroyed during Israeli attacks, adding that many victims were women and children.

“It is heartbreaking that the loved ones of those missing for so long are only now having their worst fears confirmed,” he said in a statement.

He said the discoveries revived concerns raised in a 2024 UN report that found Israeli strikes on residential buildings and other civilian sites during the early weeks of the onslaught may have violated international humanitarian law.

The Israeli prime minister’s office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations that it deliberately targets civilians and claims it acted in accordance with international law.

Israel’s assault on Gaza has generated around 61 million tons of wreckage and debris since October 2023 that could take seven years to clear, according to the UN.

A US-brokered ceasefire brought an end to full-scale onslaught in October 2025, but has failed to halt regular Israeli strikes.

Widespread destruction on Gaza

The Palestinian Civil Defence says more than 630 bodies and human remains have been recovered from beneath destroyed buildings across Gaza since November 2025.

Palestinian authorities estimate more than 8,000 people remain buried in the wreckage.

Turk said he feared the remains recovered so far could be “only the tip of the iceberg”, noting that large parts of Gaza had been flattened by Israeli bombing or later demolition and clearance operations.

He also accused Israel of continuing to level some areas of Gaza where its forces remain deployed, saying bulldozers were operating “with no respect for the dead under the rubble”.

More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign, according to Gaza health authorities.

The UN rights chief called for international investigators to be granted access to all parts of Gaza to help preserve evidence, citing ongoing legal proceedings examining conduct during the war.

Israel has blocked the entry of heavy machinery needed to remove rubble, according to Turk’s statement.

Francesca Albanese, the UN expert on the Palestinian territories, has said evidence should be gathered and human remains identified before full clearance starts.

This month, the Palestinian Civil Defence said 96 bodies and human remains had been recovered from a single site in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City, including 58 children and 23 women.