DaysofPal — The United Nations has issued a stark warning about the growing danger posed by unexploded ordnance across the Gaza Strip, saying the territory is now heavily contaminated with explosives that continue to kill and maim civilians, particularly children.
The warning comes after two years of the Israeli genocide that began on October 7, 2023, with UN officials cautioning that the widespread presence of unexploded bombs, shells, and even bullets is threatening lives and hindering long-term reconstruction efforts.
According to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), more than 1,000 people in Gaza have been killed due to unexploded ordnance since the start of the conflict.
Julius van der Valt, a senior UNMAS official in the occupied Palestinian territories, said the actual number is likely “much higher,” noting that about half of the victims are children.
A report published by the organization last year found that the use of explosive weapons in Gaza has resulted in an average of 475 children per month suffering injuries leading to permanent disabilities.
The UN added that Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees in the world.
Van der Valt said that while the full scale of the problem has yet to be assessed, available data indicate a “high density” of explosive contamination across the territory.
So far, more than 1,000 explosive items have been identified during operations carried out over the past two and a half years.
He explained that this equates to roughly one piece of unexploded ordnance every 600 meters, stressing that this figure only reflects items that have been detected.
“Explosive weapons have been used across the entire Gaza Strip, including in densely populated refugee camps,” he said, citing a recent incident in which remnants of munitions were discovered inside a tent that had been inhabited for weeks.
The UN official also warned that humanitarian convoys could inadvertently trigger explosions while moving through affected areas.
Van der Valt estimated that clearing the unexploded ordnance could cost at least $541 million, assuming full access permissions and adequate equipment are secured.
However, he cautioned that the extent of contamination, especially within vast amounts of rubble, makes a comprehensive assessment extremely difficult, and suggested the threat could persist for decades.
He noted that unexploded bombs from World War II are still occasionally discovered at construction sites in the United Kingdom, warning that a similar long-term danger could face Gaza.
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