International warning of “very grave” risks from unexploded ordnance in Gaza

Handicap International warned that unexploded ordnance in Gaza poses a “huge” danger to displaced people returning to their homes in the devastated Palestinian territory, and, echoing the United Nations, called for permission to bring in the equipment needed for mine clearance.

Ann-Claire Yaish, the organisation’s director in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement that “the risks are enormous, and estimates indicate that about 70,000 tonnes of explosives have fallen on Gaza” since the war began after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Handicap International is an NGO specialising in mine clearance and assistance to victims of anti-personnel mines.

The statement added that “the layers of rubble and levels of accumulation are very large” and that “we face very serious risks” on an “extremely complex” terrain because of the “limited” space in densely populated urban areas.

In January, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said estimates indicated that “5 to 10%” of the munitions fired at Gaza did not explode. Fighting has continued since then, notably after the Israeli military launched a large-scale operation in mid-September on Gaza City. A ceasefire, the third in the war, came into effect on Friday.

UNMAS told Agence France-Presse in response to a request for clarification that due to restrictions imposed over the past two years in the Palestinian territory “it was not possible to carry out large-scale surveys in Gaza.” The agency added that, given this reality, it does not have “a comprehensive picture of the threat posed by explosives and munitions in the Gaza Strip.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday that humanitarian workers “were able to assess the explosives-related risks on main roads.” It added that UNMAS says it has only “a limited number of armoured vehicles in the field, which means we can carry out only a certain number of explosives risk assessments each day.”

UNMAS pointed out that it “has not yet received permission from Israeli authorities to bring in the equipment needed” to remove unexploded ordnance, noting that “three armoured vehicles are standing at the border waiting to enter Gaza, which would allow for safer and wider operations.”