Hidden killers beneath Gaza's rubble

The Star

18-05-2025

A Palestinian man inspecting the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Khan Yunis. — Reuters
THE Gaza Strip is pockmarked with unexploded ordnance from Israel's relentless bombing campaign, creating what the US government describes as an 'uninhabitable' wasteland.
The sheer scale of contamination is unprecedented in modern warfare.
By October 2024, Israel had conducted over 40,000 airstrikes on the tiny coastal enclave.
Conservative UN estimates suggest that between 5% and 10% of these munitions failed to detonate, leaving potentially thousands of deadly explosives hidden among 50 million tonnes of rubble.
Gaza's desperate residents have already paid the price during makeshift clean-up efforts.
In January, 15-year-old Saeed Abdel Ghafour was playing near Khan Yunis when a bulldozer struck a concealed bomb.
The explosion left the teenager and the driver, Alaa Abu Jmeiza, permanently blinded in one eye.
This wasn't an isolated incident.
A child looking on at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp in Khan Yunis. — Reuters
A UN-backed database records at least 23 fatalities and 162 injuries from unexploded ordnance since the war began – figures aid workers call 'just the tip of the iceberg' given most incidents go unreported.
International demining organisations face insurmountable obstacles.
From March-July 2024, Israel blocked import requests for over 2,000 critical demining tools – including armoured vehicles, explosives detectors and protective gear – according to documents compiled by demining organisations.
'The restrictions create serious unnecessary challenges,' said UN human rights spokesman Jeremy Laurence.
Legal experts note Israel's obligations under the 1907 Hague Convention to clear explosive remnants, yet the military continues to deny equipment essential for safe removal.
In Gaza City's Shati refugee camp, children kick footballs around piles of rubble where demolition crews dare not venture.
'We mark dangerous areas with spray paint when we find them,' said local volunteer Ahmed Nasser. 'But there's no system – just hope.'
The UN Mine Action Service reports hundreds of visible threats including aircraft bombs, mortars, and rockets.
More concerning are the 'deep-buried bombs' – multi-storey buildings collapsed onto unexploded munitions that could detonate during reconstruction.
US-made Mark 84 bombs – 2,000-pound behemoths capable of killing everyone within a 31m radius – pose particular dangers.
Journalists recently photographed two such bombs in Khan Yunis, their distinctive shape barely concealed beneath rubble.
The Biden administration paused shipments of these bombs in 2023 over civilian safety concerns, only for the Trump administration to resume deliveries.
Meanwhile, Gaza's police bomb disposal unit has lost 31 officers during the war, according to Hamas officials.
For 49-year-old teacher Hani Al Abadlah, the war never ended.
Returning to his Khan Yunis home after the January ceasefire, he discovered an unexploded bomb had penetrated three floors before embedding in sand beneath his hallway.
'My family refuses to come back,' said Al Abadlah, who now lives in the damaged structure with his brother.
'We sleep on upper floors, as far from the bomb as possible.'
Municipal authorities lack the equipment to remove it.
A coalition of UN agencies estimates that clearing Gaza's bombs could take a decade and US$500mil (RM2.1bil) – assuming Israel cooperates fully.
By comparison, clearing Mosul after the 2016-2017 battle against ISIS took three years with superior resources and access.
'The damage in Gaza is like a massive earthquake with thousands of bombs mixed in,' said Greg Crowther of Mines Advisory Group. 'Rebuilding will take generations.'
Near Deir al-Balah, murals commissioned by the Red Cross depict cartoon bombs alongside cheerful balloons – a desperate attempt to educate children about invisible dangers.
One shows a boy thinking 'DANGER: war ordnance' as he eyes a suspicious object.
For now, these crude warnings are Gaza's only defence against its hidden killers.
As another generation grows up surrounded by rubble, the unexploded bombs beneath their feet serve as grim reminders that even when the shooting stops, the war isn't over. — Reuters