Thousands in Gaza at Risk from Unexploded Ordnance

AFP | Paris
Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Unexploded bombs and shells buried in the ruins of Gaza could pose a severe threat to thousands of people in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, an aid organization has warned.

The volume of ordnance dropped on Gaza during 15 months of conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas was described as “mind-boggling” by Simon Elmont, a demining expert with Handicap International - Humanity & Inclusion.

“The amount of ordnance that has been fired is an enormous quantity,” Elmont told AFP, adding that between nine and 13 percent of munitions fail to explode on initial impact.

“It is going to be tens of thousands of unexploded ordnance, that’s for sure,” he added.

Elmont emphasized that contamination levels in Gaza are massive, with much of the ordnance “lying mainly within the rubble and underneath the surface of Gaza.” Hamas and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire, which came into effect on January 19, bringing a fragile calm.

However, Elmont warned of the risks as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians return home to recover their belongings and attempt to rebuild.

“The potential is for hundreds, if not thousands, of incidents where people are injured. And unfortunately, some of those injuries will be fatal,” he said.