DaysofPal- The Israeli unexploded ordnance scattered across Gaza continues to claim lives, turning the enclave into a deadly minefield that threatens civilians, especially children, as they attempt to return home.
The Gaza Government Media Office estimates that around 20,000 Israeli shells and rockets remain unexploded amid the rubble, posing a “direct and real threat” to the territory’s 2.4 million residents.
These remnants from two years of Israeli genocidal war, during which the Israeli forces dropped an estimated 200,000 tons of explosives, obstruct rubble clearance and any return to normalcy, officials warned in a statement on October 17.
On Thursday, the Palestinian child, Ahmad Abdullah Mahmoud Al-Sawri, was killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp when an unexploded device detonated, and another child was injured in a similar blast in Jabalia, northern Gaza.
Gaza’s Civil Defense also recorded three additional explosions that day, sparking fires and causing property damage.
Over recent months, dozens, including children, have been killed or wounded by these hazards, with the UN recording 324 deaths, including 91 children, from unexploded ordnance since October 2023.
The true toll may be higher as people access previously restricted areas.
Sand News Agency documented cases like that of brothers Zain and Joud Al-Anqar, who returned from southern Gaza to pitch a tent in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, while gathering wood and scrap for cooking, they disturbed a covered explosive:
“We lifted something from the rubble covering the unexploded device, and a huge blast went off, we couldn’t see anything afterward,” Zain recounted, showing shrapnel wounds and a bandaged leg as he hobbled on crutches.
His brother added: “We pulled a cardboard from the debris, and suddenly we were flying through the air.”
UN Mine Action Service chief Julius van der Walt has warned that children are the most vulnerable, often unaware of the dangers while playing or scavenging.
UN teams face near-daily risks, and no precise data exists on the full extent of contamination, though it appears widespread across Gaza.
Palestinian authorities urge residents to avoid suspicious objects, never tamper with them, and immediately contact specialists.
Clearing the debris, estimated at 65-70 million tons, requires heavy machinery blocked by the Israeli occupation forces, potentially delaying efforts for decades.
The two-year war has killed over 70,000 Palestinians, wounded more than 171,000, and destroyed 90% of civilian infrastructure, leaving Gaza environmentally and structurally devastated.
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