“The territory of the enclave has become a minefield, and the removal of the bombs and unexploded shells left in Gaza as a result of the shelling by Israeli forces could take 20 to 30 years,” the Maan news agency quoted the NGO representative as saying.
Furthermore, in his opinion, it is “simply impossible” to deactivate all unexploded objects in Gaza, since many are located deep underground.
“It will take a whole generation to locate and defuse explosive objects on the surface,” said the NGO representative.
He also noted that Israeli authorities do not allow the equipment necessary to detect and destroy unexploded projectiles to be brought into Gaza. According to him, NGOs have also been denied permission to deliver equipment designed to incinerate explosive devices so that they do not detonate on site and cannot be reused.
Previously, a representative of Handicap International, an NGO involved in explosive ordnance disposal and victim assistance, reported that Israeli forces have dropped approximately 70,000 tons of projectiles and bombs on Gaza since October 2023. An analysis by a specialized UN agency found that between 5% and 10% of bombs and projectiles launched on Gaza by forces Israelis did not explode.
According to the press service of the administration of the Palestinian enclave, at least 20,000 explosive devices are currently found under the rubble of destroyed buildings and on the streets of settlements. These include artillery shells, mines, bombs and shells launched by the Israeli army into Gaza. The press service emphasizes that all unexploded shells “pose a real threat to local residents returning to their homes and to workers and specialists clearing debris in settlements in the enclave.”
On October 6, delegations from Israel and Hamas resumed indirect talks to resolve the conflict in the Gaza Strip, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, with Turkey also joining the consultations. On October 9, the parties signed an agreement to implement the first phase of the peace plan previously presented by US President Donald Trump. The following day the ceasefire agreement in Gaza came into force.