GAZA, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)The organization Handicap International has warned that unexploded ordnance in the Gaza Strip poses a “massive danger” to displaced people returning to their homes in the devastated Palestinian territory, calling for permission to bring in the necessary demining equipment, just as the United Nations has previously done.
The organization’s warning came just days after a ceasefire agreement went into effect in war-torn Gaza, following more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war, which left around 42,000 Palestinians with life-altering injuries out of more than 170,000 wounded, according to data from the World Health Organization.
Anne-Claire Yaeesh, the organization’s director in the Palestinian territories, said that “the risks are enormous,” estimating that around 70,000 tons of explosives have been dropped on Gaza since the start of the latest war in October 2023.
Yaeesh added that “the layers of rubble and debris are extremely thick,” and that “we are facing very serious dangers” on terrain that is “extremely complex,” due to the “limited” space in densely populated urban areas.
In January, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) reported that estimates suggested between 5% and 10% of the munitions fired on Gaza had not exploded. However, those estimates have not been updated since then, even though Israeli assaults have continued, including the large-scale operation launched by the Israeli occupation army in Gaza City in mid-September.
In a related context, UNMAS told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that restrictions imposed over the past two years on Gaza have prevented large-scale survey operations from being conducted there.
The agency added that, as a result, it does not have a “comprehensive picture of the threat posed by explosives and ordnance in the Gaza Strip.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on Monday that humanitarian workers “have been able to assess explosive-related risks along the main roads.”
OCHA added that UNMAS currently has only “a limited number of armored vehicles in the field, meaning that only a limited number of daily explosive risk assessments can be conducted.”
UNMAS also told AFP that it “has not yet received authorization from the Israeli authorities to bring in the necessary equipment” for clearing unexploded ordnance in Gaza, noting that “three armored vehicles are waiting at the border to enter the Strip,” which would allow “safer and wider-scale operations.”
Handicap International, also known as Humanity & Inclusion in English-speaking countries is a non-governmental organization specializing in mine clearance and assistance to victims of anti-personnel mines.
