Mines and unexploded bombs – Clearing Gaza of rubble could take fourteen years

The fighting between Israel and the radical Islamist Hamas has resulted in an estimated 37 million tons of rubble in the densely populated Palestinian area, according to UNMAS representative Pehr Lodhammar in Geneva.

It is also impossible to determine the exact number of unexploded bombs found.

14 years of work with 100 trucks
However, under certain circumstances it can take up to fourteen years to clear the rubble, including the rubble of destroyed buildings. “We know that typically at least 10 percent of the munitions used on site fail and do not work,” Lodhammar said. “We are talking about 14 years of work with 100 trucks.”

Hope for more relief supplies
According to American information, the construction of a temporary port off the coast of the Gaza Strip is progressing; first aid supplies could soon be delivered through the temporary facility. The American army has gone to work and is deployed with ships.

“The situation in Gaza is incredibly bad”
At the same time, the US government once again urgently warned of an impending famine. “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is incredibly dire,” said a representative of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Nearly 30 percent of children in northern Gaza showed signs of severe malnutrition.

In the south of the Gaza Strip, almost a quarter of the population faces “catastrophic food insecurity”. These numbers would rise significantly in the coming months without urgent life-saving measures to combat malnutrition.