1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Israel is systematically crushing and removing millions of tonnes of rubble from Gaza as part of what human rights groups describe as an attempt to destroy evidence of genocide and enable ethnic cleansing. At least 10 million of approximately 68 million tonnes of rubble have already been removed from areas under Israeli military control. Nearly 100 Israeli trucks transport debris daily to undisclosed sites in Israel and the occupied West Bank, with about 400 heavy excavation machines operating continuously. Human rights organizations warn that this demolition destroys crucial evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The rubble contains missile fragments, ammunition, and personal belongings needed for accountability. Approximately 8,500 missing Palestinians whose bodies remain buried in rubble risk being permanently lost as heavy machinery crushes remains without forensic surveys. The operation also serves as demographic engineering—destroying land boundaries, street networks, and house foundations to erase Palestinians’ physical markers of property ownership and prevent their return. Over 93 percent of Gaza’s cemeteries have been destroyed. Military expert Elias Hanna explained this constitutes “collective punishment” and “urban engineering” designed to make destroyed areas unliveable. Families report daily tragedies losing both their relatives and evidence needed to prosecute Israeli crimes. Congress must demand an immediate halt to this destruction of evidence. We will never forget.