DaysofPal- Gaza’s Civil Defense has warned that unexploded munitions and debris left behind by Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip pose a serious and ongoing threat to rescue teams searching for thousands of Palestinians believed to be buried beneath the rubble of destroyed homes.
Speaking to the Palestine newspaper, Civil Defense spokesperson Major Mahmoud Basal said the vast scale of military remnants scattered across Gaza’s governorates has become a major obstacle to rescue and recovery efforts, particularly during operations to retrieve bodies or reopen damaged roads.
“The danger lies in the possibility that heavy machinery may strike unexploded ordnance hidden under the rubble,” Basal said, warning that such incidents could trigger deadly explosions and cause additional casualties among rescue workers and civilians.
According to Civil Defense estimates, around 71,000 tons of unexploded ordnance remain across the enclave following Israeli genocidal war, which began in October 2023 and continued for nearly two years before a ceasefire partially took effect on October 10, 2025.
Basal explained that the remnants include aerial bombs dropped by Israeli warplanes that failed to detonate and remain buried under rubble or in sandy soil, as well as artillery shells and missiles fired from helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
He said some of the most dangerous munitions include U.S.-made MK-series bombs, particularly the MK-84, which can weigh close to one ton.
During the war, Basal said, Israeli forces dropped tens of thousands of MK and GBU bunker-buster bombs, munitions typically designed for fortified military targets, on densely populated residential neighborhoods in Gaza.
He warned that war debris is scattered throughout streets, beneath unstable buildings, and under collapsed structures, urging residents to avoid digging for construction, farming, or body recovery near suspected ordnance, as even minor contact could cause explosions.
Basal said the Israeli occupation has refused to cooperate with Gaza-based institutions in addressing the remnants of their munitions, including the police explosives engineering unit.
He called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to assist by providing detailed maps identifying areas struck by unexploded bombs to help civil defense teams operate more safely.
A security source told the Palestine newspaper that Israeli forces deliberately targeted teams responsible for neutralizing unexploded ordnance during the war, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries among their members.
Recovering the remains of victims, Basal said, remains one of the most painful and complex challenges facing Civil Defense crews, particularly in cases where entire families were killed.
Severe equipment shortages have further hampered operations, with only one heavy machine currently operating in northern Gaza and another in the south.
Identifying recovered remains presents another major difficulty. Basal said neither rescue teams nor surviving relatives can confirm identities without access to DNA testing facilities.
As a result, recovered remains are registered by number rather than by name, a process he said has profound psychological and social consequences for families.
Basal estimated that around 8,500 people remain buried under the rubble, while Civil Defense teams have recovered the remains of approximately 1,000 individuals since the ceasefire began.
He also highlighted the unresolved fate of thousands of missing persons whose families lost contact with them during the war, with no confirmation as to whether they are buried, detained, or killed elsewhere.
The Civil Defense, Basal said, urgently requires at least 20 excavators, 20 trucks, and 20 bulldozers, in addition to a DNA testing laboratory and specialized units capable of detecting unexploded ordnance in residential areas.
Without additional resources, he warned, recovery operations could take more than three years, though they could be completed within three months if adequate equipment were provided.
He also cautioned against the danger posed by structurally weakened buildings, noting that at least 50 buildings have collapsed since the ceasefire, including 27 during recent severe weather. Since October 2025, such collapses have killed 32 people, including women and children.
Thousands of other buildings remain cracked and at risk of collapse, Basal said, warning that adverse weather could trigger further humanitarian disasters at any time.
Welcoming the formation of a national technocratic committee to administer Gaza, headed by Dr. Ali Shaath, Basal said the Civil Defense is ready to cooperate fully with the new body and mobilize its personnel to provide humanitarian services.
He expressed hope that the committee would be able to secure the heavy machinery and technical support needed for rubble removal, body recovery, and the clearance of war remnants.
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