Unexploded Ordnance Poses Ongoing Threat in Gaza

Civilian Casualties from UXO

Two children, 8-year-old Joud Ahmad Al Angar and 12-year-old Zain Nour, sustained injuries after an item they found in rubble near their tent in Gaza City exploded. The children had brought the item back to their tent, and it detonated when tossed away after adults instructed them to return it.

Video footage shared by a family member showed the boys bleeding and covered in debris following the blast. Zain's father, Mohammad Nour, reported finding both children with shrapnel wounds. They were admitted to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where they received initial care amid reported shortages of painkillers and medical personnel. They are awaiting further surgical procedures to remove remaining shrapnel.

Scale of Unexploded Ordnance

Mohammad Nour described unexploded ordnance (UXO) as widespread in Gaza. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) estimates that between 5% and 10% of weapons deployed in Gaza over the past two years failed to detonate. This has led to at least 328 fatalities from UXO, with 24 occurring since the ceasefire commenced on October 10.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Civil Defense in Gaza, confirmed daily reports of unexploded bombs found in various locations, including buildings, roofs, and roads. Basal estimated the presence of tens of thousands of tons of unexploded bombs. He also reported that 90% of the Civil Defense's bomb disposal specialists have been killed in recent Israeli actions.

Challenges in Clearance Operations

Nick Orr, chief of operations for the nonprofit Humanity and Inclusion in Gaza, highlighted significant challenges in UXO clearance due to the dense population. He noted that standard safety protocols, such as establishing 800-meter cordons for bomb disposal, are currently impractical in Gaza City.

Orr drew comparisons between the current situation in Gaza and post-World War II cities like Berlin, London, and Paris, where unexploded ordnance continues to be discovered decades later. He projected that clearing the surface-level UXO in Gaza could take 20 to 30 years, with residual discoveries potentially continuing for two to three generations.

Effective clearance, Orr stated, requires an internal security force to manage civilian evacuations from affected areas, a mechanism currently absent. The formation of an international stabilization force, as outlined in a U.S. peace plan, could take months. Clearance operations are expected to necessitate further displacement, leading to an increase in internally displaced persons' camps.

Ceasefire Agreement and UXO Management

An unnamed high-ranking official within Gaza's interior ministry, not authorized to speak publicly, indicated that under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan, unexploded bombs are being addressed as part of Hamas disarmament efforts, citing Hamas's alleged recycling of such items for use against Israel. The official claimed that Israel's military targets Gaza civilians attempting to handle unexploded bombs.

The official also stated an agreement for Egyptian teams to manage the cleanup of Gaza's unexploded ordnance. When contacted, an Israeli military spokesperson provided "no comment" regarding this claim.

Impact on Children