The French newspaper "Liberation" said that the Israeli bombing of more than 40,000 targets in Gaza has so far left about 39 million tons of rubble on a strip that does not exceed 41 kilometers in length, which warns of the presence of a huge amount of unexploded bombs that are still buried under the rubble.

The newspaper explained - in a report by its correspondent in Tel Aviv, Nicolas Roger - that demining experts affiliated with international agencies are preparing to face an imminent disaster due to the amount of munitions buried under the rubble, and are requesting money to do work equivalent to removing the accumulated debris more than a thousand kilometers away on the Ukrainian-Russian front line. According to the Director of the United Nations Explosives Agency in Palestine (UNMAS), Mungo Birch.

According to official figures, the reporter says, the Israeli army has struck more than 40,000 targets in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, noting that “one in 10 conventional weapons bombs usually do not explode,” as Gary Tombs of the Handicap organization recalls. International, a non-governmental organization that specializes in clearing mines in conflict zones, and spent several weeks in Gaza this year.

Homemade rockets

Like most of the IED Neutralization and Destruction Corps (NEDEX) officers, Gary Toombs is a competent, meticulous, and apolitical former soldier, and he expects that the percentage should be higher for the home-made rockets possessed by the Palestinian factions.

The correspondent pointed out that Israel still refuses to end the war and its army attacks in Gaza City in the north, Nuseirat in the center, and Khan Yunis in the south, and forces Palestinians to displace repeatedly, and “every time the displaced move, the risk of an accident increases,” says Gary. Toombs.

During his recent trip to Gaza, Toombs himself was able to notice rockets embedded in buildings, and experts believe that every layer of rubble may have unexploded, invisible munitions underneath it.

Chain reaction

Gary Tombs gave the example, saying, “To demolish buildings, the Israeli army uses anti-tank mines, and links about 15 of them together. If we stick to the logic of 10%, you can do the math.” He noted that the risk of a chain reaction exists, and “it poses a challenge because "You need an 800-meter shock wave to get rid of the biggest bombs, and who knows what's in the circuit of a controlled explosion?"

Mungo Birch explains that the danger is not only limited to a deadly explosion, but that the health and environmental repercussions are worrying, as there are about 800 thousand tons of asbestos under the rubble, and thousands of bodies, as well as toxic, organic and chemical materials, especially since most hospitals have been affected, Therefore, there may be radioactive machines or biological hazards under the rubble.

Scarcity of resources

The NEDEX officers present are cooperating fully, and their primary concern is to raise awareness of the dangers, especially for young children, because the rest of the Palestinian population is tragically accustomed to the consequences of these asymmetric urban wars. “We must have an officer in every humanitarian convoy,” laments Mungo Birch. But we don't have the resources."

Even if UNMAS wanted to send reinforcements, it could not afford it. The agency is suffering from a budget shortfall “because we need at least $40 million to continue our work this year,” and real work would require hundreds of millions of dollars.

Source: Liberation