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After the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has left behind a silent killer – tens of thousands of unexploded bombs buried deep in 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 area into one of the most dangerous places in the world.
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 are able to survey these areas, remove some of the rubble and identify the ammunition that has been used… [Some are] more prone to not functioning.
‘As we start to get more information, it will become easier to estimate how extensive that problem. 200,000 tonnes of ammunition has been used.
‘Last year, the United Nations quoted a failure rate of about 10%, which is reasonable. So it could 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 walls, all invisible until it is too late.
Crowther warned that often, the highest number of accidents happen in the immediate post-conflict phase.
This is similar to what MAG is observing in Syria as displaced people return from Turkey and from inside Syria to areas where they have not been for many years.
He added: ‘We have already heard of reports of children being killed after finding and opening what appeared to be a box of fuses.’
It will take years – probably five or more – just to deal with priority sites in Gaza, MAG warned.
Any removal of UXOs would have to happen simultaneously 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 is around 80%.
Crowther said: ‘Within that rubble there are human remains, asbestos, toxic chemicals, and unexploded bombs. It is a perfect storm of hazards.’
After the six-week bombing campaign in 2008-2009, it took two years for MAG deminers to clear 300 items.
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As this war has been ‘far more intense’, they are looking at ‘thousands of tasks, possibly tens of thousands’.
Crowther added: ‘It is a huge, multi-year, tens-of-millions-of-dollars job and that is just for the explosive ordnance response, not the rebuilding.’
Working with colleagues from their Palestinian partner Save Youth Future Society, MAG is trying to reach as many as possible displaced Gazans as they travel north along the coastal road to make them aware of the dangers.
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 more 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 is still on YouTube.
The video was created by Project Masam, another humanitarian group that clears landmines in Yemen.
This does not mean that booby-trapped items have not been left behind in Gaza, but that misinformation has flooded social media.
Children’s toys and other everyday items stuffed with explosives have been found in Syria and Ukraine in recent years.
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