Families returning to parts of Gaza face the threat of unexploded bombs underground

While air combat may have stopped in Gaza, the danger remains for Palestinians returning to parts of the war-torn territory due to unexploded bombs on the ground.

They blend in with the piles of rubble and destruction.

Efforts are underway in Gaza to locate and remove these bombs, starting with the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip – which has seen some of the heaviest fighting in the 15-month war between Israel and Hamas. But Mine Advisory Groups say that in order to address the large amount of unexploded ordnance left behind by mines, a broader response is critical.

For Gazans, this is an additional fear of death despite a ceasefire that has halted air and ground attacks.

“We are afraid for the children and for our families,” Raed Al-Aka, a 27-year-old father of three from Rafah, told CBC News.

“I am afraid that I will leave my home and face a missile that will explode on me, my wife, my children, or in the street on my neighbors… anywhere.”

Although access to Gaza remains limited, especially in the first phase of the operation Ceasefire between Israel and HamasGreg Crowther, program manager at the Mine Advisory Group (MAG), said it was difficult to estimate the potential extent of explosive contamination at this stage.

“It is clear that there will be a significant threat to life and a long-term impediment to reconstruction efforts,” Crowther said in an email to CBC News Friday.

“dangerous environment”

Right now, their focus is on risk awareness in the region.

Mine Advisory Group, which helped clear Gaza of landmines after the conflicts in 2008 and 2009, has partnered with Save the Future of Youth, and deployed 20 risk awareness teams across Gaza to teach communities how to stay safe around explosive hazards through hazard recognition Potential, avoid and report them. They have provided sessions to over 160,000 people since launching in September 2024.

Crowther said that because Gaza is densely populated and highly urbanized, the use of explosive weapons has had a “particularly devastating impact.”

He added: “Besides what is visible, you also have to take into account elements that have not exploded yet but remain hidden, putting people at risk – this creates a dangerous environment especially with people returning to their home sites and digging through the rubble.” .

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) had previously warned of explosive ordnance that had become “increasingly widespread” across the small coastal enclave that was being subjected to heavy bombardment by Israel.

It said that explosive ordnance disposal teams encountered aerial bombs, mortar shells, rockets, projectiles of all calibres, hand grenades and explosive devices.

Deeply buried bombs are common in Gaza

In Gaza specifically, bombs were found buried deep under or inside infrastructure and rubble.

“As families return to their homes, we are rapidly scaling up our capacity to mitigate the risks of explosive ordnance to civilians and humanitarian workers alike,” UNMAS said in a blog post on Monday the 10th.

As more Palestinians return to various parts of the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire that began on Sunday, a UN damage assessment released this month showed that removing more than 50 million tons of rubble left by Israeli bombing could take 21 years and cost up to 1.2 million dollars. dollar. Billion US dollars.

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Muhammad Miqdad, head of the Explosives Department in Rafah, said that his teams began locating weapons and removing them in the first phase of the ceasefire.

“Rafah specifically has been devastated, and the majority of the area has been destroyed,” Mekdad told CBC News on Wednesday.

“We have dealt with dozens of remaining unexploded ordnance and are transporting them to safe areas for eventual disposal.”

Children are taught how to recognize weapons

To date, teams have completed more than 120 calls to clear unexploded ordnance, and have been working daily since Sunday.

He added, “The team continues to work to remove more munitions from residential areas.” “We are doing everything we can to lift it and remove it.”

Mokdad said that the teams removed bombs used in aircraft, such as MK, GBU 39, cannon and tank bombs, but they need special technical equipment to remove larger explosives.

The authorities asked residents to stay away from some dangerous areas that are believed to contain a large number of these devices.

Some munitions, such as small explosives released from cluster munitions, may not appear to be normal threats to children at first, which can pose a danger.

Children also participate in risk awareness sessions to be aware of the types of weapons used in war, Crowther said.

“It is especially important to share this information with them, because their natural curiosity could put them at greater risk of injury if they find explosive weapons and simply assume they are toys,” he said.

Al-Akka called on experts to remove the explosives.

“So we can take our freedom, go to our homes, remove the rubble, and sit in our homes,” Al-Akka said.

“We have seen enough martyrs and bloodshed in war.”

Limited coordination and capacity in Gaza

Crowther said explosive threat assessments and survey activities as well as technical equipment must be expanded to allow for a broader humanitarian response.

“There is currently limited coordination and limited capacity to implement these activities, both in terms of the technical equipment required and the number of qualified personnel currently in Gaza,” Crowther said.

Israel killed more than 47,000 Palestinians during the 15-month-old war in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Due to the chaos of war, verifying the exact number of casualties has been difficult and subject to scrutiny.

The coastal strip was largely destroyed by the Israeli army following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. This attack led to the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of about 250 hostages in Gaza, according to Israeli statistics. About 94 Israelis and foreigners are still detained in Gaza. It is unclear how many are alive.

The Palestinian Civil Defense said it was searching for an estimated 10,000 bodies believed to be still under the rubble.

Peer-reviewed study published in The scalpel January 9 indicates that official death tolls in Gaza may be significantly underestimated. On 30 June 2024, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported 37,877 deaths; The study estimated that the number was likely to be about 64,200 by that date.