After a 15-month war, the return of 2 million Palestinians to Gaza is complicated by the widespread risk of unexploded ordnance. Aid organizations warn of the dangers posed by debris, encouraging people to report any suspicious items and avoid contact. The situation highlights the unprecedented challenges of clearing explosives from a densely populated urban environment ravaged by intense bombing and ground fighting.
that have been inaccessible throughout much of the 15-month war, explosive disposal experts and aid officials have warned.that came into effect last Sunday, Israel must allow movement from southern Gaza to the north – where destruction has been most intensive – through a major checkpoint on the Israeli-held Netzarim corridor.
About 2 million Palestinians have been displaced during the war and are living in makeshift shelters and tented camps far from their former homes. “I am afraid that our house will be destroyed … I haven’t lost anyone from my family, but I am terrified of losing someone or having them injured because of these explosives. I fear that one of these remnants will explode, and I could lose my life, or a hand, or a leg,’ she said.
“It is a pretty horrible picture. People will be looking for anything they can use to survive. They will prioritise their basic needs over safety,” he added. “That level of destructing of a populated urban environment, with that level of bombing over a period of time, repeated bombing with a range of munition, overlaid with ground fighting, that is pretty unusual. I don’t think there is anything comparable in terms of duration and intensity and in that location. It does make it pretty … unprecedented,” he said.
Conflict Humanitarian Crisis Unexploded Ordnance Gaza War Reconstruction Humanitarian Aid
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