“The threat of explosive ordnance in Gaza and the West Bank is present and impacting the lives of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid, including since the ceasefire began.”
At least 92 people have been killed or injured by explosive ordnance since October 2023, according to Luke Irving, Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme (UNMAS) in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Informal reports suggest 24 victims since the ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip “which averages to over two people per day”, Irving said at a press briefing on Wednesday from the enclave.
.@UNMAS Chief in the occupied Palestinian territories briefed the press on the range of explosive ordnance in #Gaza that has killed and injured civilians, and prevented humanitarian activities from taking place safely.https://t.co/qfJNOupaaR pic.twitter.com/Em6ZW9UXr3
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) January 30, 2025
“Over the past 14 months, our teams have encountered a range of explosive ordnance, including aerial bombs, mortars, rockets, projectiles, grenades and improvised explosive devices,” stated Irving.
“These have killed and injured civilians in Gaza, and they have risked preventing humanitarian activities from taking place safely,” he added.
Mortars, Rifle Grenades
Since the ceasefire began, Irving noted, “humanitarian convoys are finding items more and more, as we reach new areas which we previously could not get to, including large aircraft bombs, mortars, anti-tank weapons, rockets and rifle grenades.”
In #Gaza, where nowhere is safe. People are trapped facing ongoing bombardments and the hidden threat of #ExplosiveOrdnance.
Until there is a #ceasefire and adequate access, Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) remains the only way to safeguard against this danger.… pic.twitter.com/Ty64hLFLOz
— DRC Middle East (@DRC_MiddleEast) December 3, 2024
“The threat of explosive ordnance in Gaza and the West Bank is present and impacting the lives of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid, including since the ceasefire began,” said Irving.
“We have already received informal reports of civilians coming across explosive ordnance in their homes,” he emphasized.
Education Required
The UNMAS chief explained that “a lot of people might not understand the threat of what those items are, so when they come into contact with them, either picking up or moving it, it’s highly dangerous.”
Since the #GazaCeasefire, @UNMAS and its partners have assessed 11 sites across #Gaza to reduce the risk that explosive ordnance poses to civilians, including humanitarian personnel.
This is yet another live-saving component of our prepared scale up.
Every minute counts. pic.twitter.com/L9FPPOBrib
— OCHA OPT (Palestine) (@ochaopt) January 28, 2025
Irving added that “those explosive items could then function as they were initially designed to do, and of course they are weapons of war and are deadly. So, you can imagine the impact that will have.”
West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, he warned, the situation was deteriorating amid ongoing Israeli army escalations.
“We report a significant increase in the number of explosive items found over the past months throughout the West Bank, including in populated areas,” Irving said.
Gaza’s Government Media Office issued a warning on Wednesday about the risks posed by remnants of war left behind by the Israeli army. The office reportedly said that hospitals across Gaza have admitted several people injured by explosive ordnance.
According to UNMAS, it could take up to 14 years to clear Gaza of unexploded bombs.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 47,035 Palestinians have been killed, and 111,091 wounded in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.
(PC, UN News, Al Mayadeen)
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