Israel is still trying to cover up evidence of its genocide in Gaza

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory has confirmed that Israel continues, in an organised and institutionalised manner, to implement a systematic policy of covering up material evidence of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed over the past two years in the Gaza Strip, through field and administrative measures aimed at concealing the truth and obstructing any independent international investigation.

Israel is still covering-up evidence of war crimes

In a press statement, the Observatory explained that the Israeli authorities are working through an integrated system comprising government, judicial and security agencies to provide legal cover for policies of media blackouts and prevention of transparency.

It noted that the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to grant the government an additional postponement to allow independent journalists to enter Gaza reflects this integration, as it gives legitimacy to government decisions that seek to protect perpetrators of crimes and obscure evidence on the ground.

The Observatory explained that preventing international journalists and investigators from entering Gaza is part of a consistent policy aimed at keeping crimes out of the international spotlight.

It clarified that Israel has imposed a media blackout on the Strip since the start of the aggression, allowing only limited tours under the supervision of its army, which makes coverage completely subject to military censorship. It noted that the killing of 254 Palestinian journalists and the prevention of international correspondents from entering the area embodies a policy aimed at monopolising the Israeli narrative and preventing the victims’ stories from being told.

Obstructing justice

The Observatory emphasised that Israel is also obstructing international justice efforts by preventing international investigation committees and forensic and criminal anthropology experts from entering, leading to the destruction of biological and criminal evidence proving the facts of mass killings and the use of prohibited weapons.

The authorities also continue to hold hundreds of bodies, including those of prisoners and detainees, and have handed over some 195 bodies without providing information about their identities or the circumstances of their deaths, in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions.

He added that Israeli forces have carried out operations to bulldoze and level destroyed land and areas in Gaza, leading to the removal of physical evidence and the erasure of crime scenes. They also control about 50% of the Strip militarily and have turned it into restricted access areas, preventing any independent field or humanitarian documentation.

Israel’s acts are an extension of genocide

The Observatory stressed that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the decisions of the International Court of Justice, which oblige Israel to preserve evidence and prevent its destruction.

It considered that preventing independent investigations and denying victims justice is an extension of the crime of genocide itself and an attempt to erase the collective memory of the Palestinian people.

At the end of its statement, the Observatory called on the international community and the United Nations to take urgent action to ensure that journalists and international teams are allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, secure crime scenes before evidence is lost, and to establish a field office for the International Criminal Court in Palestine to coordinate investigations and link reconstruction efforts with the preservation and documentation of evidence, stressing that preserving the truth in Gaza has become a legal and humanitarian obligation that cannot be delayed.

Featured image via the Canary