DaysofPal- The Gaza Civil Defense has issued a stark warning that roughly 70,000 tonnes of unexploded ordnance remain across the Gaza Strip, posing a severe and ongoing risk to civilians and humanitarian workers.
Since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on October 7, 2023, extensive aerial bombardments have targeted Gaza’s densely populated neighborhoods.
Military analysts estimate that the total tonnage of bombs and missiles dropped on the enclave surpasses the combined tonnage used in cities like Dresden, Hamburg, and London during World War II.
The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has estimated that 5% to 10% of these munitions failed to detonate on impact. As a result, tens of thousands of explosives remain active, creating a continuous danger for residents.
Gaza’s densely built urban areas, combined with the widespread rubble from destroyed buildings, make it extremely challenging to locate and safely neutralize unexploded bombs.
The presence of unexploded ordnance is hindering displaced residents from returning home and complicating the delivery of humanitarian aid. The ongoing conflict and the lack of sufficient resources and equipment further hamper efforts to clear the ordnance.
Civil defense authorities have called for urgent international support to address the UXO threat before further casualties occur.
They stressed that the unexploded ordnance crisis is one of the most severe humanitarian hazards facing Gaza today, with hundreds of thousands of lives at risk.
“The danger posed by unexploded bombs is enormous, and every day that passes without clearance is another day lives are at risk,” a Gaza Civil Defense official said.
With winter approaching and much of the population still displaced, the safe removal of unexploded ordnance has become an urgent priority for both local authorities and international aid organizations.
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