To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to an online
browser that
supports HTML5
video
After the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has left behind a silent killer – tens of 1000’s of unexploded bombs buried deep within the wreckage of homes, hospitals, schools and streets.
One in 10 of the missiles, grenades, shells and mortars fired into the Gaza Strip over the past two years are estimated to have failed, turning the world into one of the crucial dangerous places on the earth.
Greg Crowther, director of programmes for British-based charity, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), said that about 200,000 tonnes of ammunition has been unleashed by Israel overall.
He told Metro: ‘Until we’re capable of survey these areas, remove a number of the rubble and discover the ammunition that has been used… [Some are] more susceptible to not functioning.
‘As we begin to get more information, it should turn out to be easier to estimate how extensive that problem. 200,000 tonnes of ammunition has been used.
‘Last 12 months, the United Nations quoted a failure rate of about 10%, which is cheap. So it may very well be 20,000 tonnes of unexploded ammunition.’
These could range from 500kg airdropped bombs to rockets fired from a tank or an aircraft.
They lie half-buried in rubble and sand, wedged between collapsed partitions, all invisible until it is just too late.
Crowther warned that always, the very best variety of accidents occur within the immediate post-conflict phase.
This is comparable to what MAG is observing in Syria as displaced people return from Turkey and from inside Syria to areas where they’ve not been for a few years.
He added: ‘Now we have already heard of reports of youngsters being killed after finding and opening what seemed to be a box of fuses.’
It’ll take years – probably five or more – simply to cope with priority sites in Gaza, MAG warned.
Any removal of UXOs would should occur concurrently with clearance of the ’80 million tonnes of rubble’ left after Israel’s bombing campaign.
Some areas have seen 90 to 95% of buildings entirely or partially destroyed and across the Strip, it’s around 80%.
Crowther said: ‘Inside that rubble there are human stays, asbestos, toxic chemicals, and unexploded bombs. It is an ideal storm of hazards.’
After the six-week bombing campaign in 2008-2009, it took two years for MAG deminers to clear 300 items.
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the primary to get all the newest news
Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.
As this war has been ‘way more intense’, they’re ‘1000’s of tasks, possibly tens of 1000’s’.
Crowther added: ‘It is a large, multi-year, tens-of-millions-of-dollars job and that’s only for the explosive ordnance response, not the rebuilding.’
Working with colleagues from their Palestinian partner Save Youth Future Society, MAG is trying to succeed in as many as possible displaced Gazans as they travel north along the coastal road to make them aware of the hazards.
Fact check: Did Israel leave behind booby-trapped toys?
Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, pictures of a booby-trapped Teletubby toy began circulating on social media.
A post on X, which has been viewed greater than nine million times, said: ‘BREAKING – Gaza Civil Defense: We found booby-trapped children’s toys and canned food that the occupation deliberately planted to cause more casualties.’
Yet, the purple doll was discovered in Yemen, as shown in a video from 2018 that continues to be on YouTube.
The video was created by Project Masam, one other humanitarian group that clears landmines in Yemen.
This doesn’t mean that booby-trapped items haven’t been left behind in Gaza, but that misinformation has flooded social media.
Children’s toys and other on a regular basis items filled with explosives have been present in Syria and Ukraine in recent times.
Get in contact with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Rob Rinder outlines major concerns after Israeli fans blocked from attending Aston Villa match
MORE: Ofcom sanctions BBC after ‘serious breach of broadcasting rules over Gaza documentary’
MORE: Maccabi Tel Aviv hit out at ‘unfair’ decision to ban fans from Aston Villa game