ISRAELI OCCUPIED AND STARVED GAZA, 25 Oct. - (ANA) - Palestinians in Gaza continue to face grave dangers from tens of thousands of unexploded ordnance left scattered across the territory following Israel’s two-year offensive, a human rights group warned on Friday.

 

The Gaza Rights Centre (GRC) said the remnants pose a daily threat to civilians, hinder humanitarian efforts, and obstruct rescue operations, debris clearance, and attempts to restore normal life for families returning to their homes.

 

The war since 7 October 2023 has left much of Gaza’s urban landscape in ruins, with several areas completely flattened. Widely recognised as a genocide, the offensive has killed more than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, and many bodies are still believed to lie beneath the rubble.

 

In its report, the GRC estimated that around 20,000 unexploded munitions, including bombs, missiles, and artillery shells dropped by Israel, remain buried across the enclave. The total weight of these items is believed to be about 71,000 tons, lodged within an estimated 65 to 70 million tons of rubble.

 

“This has made Gaza one of the most dangerous places on earth,” the GRC said, warning that the territory could face “the largest humanitarian disaster in modern history” if the threat is not urgently addressed.

 

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has similarly reported that more than 61 million tons of debris now cover Gaza.

 

Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence, told GRC that “many of these remnants have been detected inside residential buildings, on roads, and in agricultural areas, making every rescue or cleanup operation a life-threatening task.”

 

The rights group said it has documented multiple explosions caused by unexploded ordnance in recent months. The most recent took place in Gaza City’s Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, where a shell detonated and killed three civilians attempting to clear rubble near their home.

 

Al-Zaytoun was heavily bombarded for weeks by Israeli forces during the Gaza City offensive before a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect earlier this month.

 

Other incidents were reported in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, where an explosion injured four debris workers, and in the town of Al-Qarar in southern Khan Younis.

 

"These incidents are stark reminders of the ongoing danger in every street and neighbourhood across Gaza," the GRC said, noting that any area targeted by Israeli shelling or incursions has become a potential site for deadly explosions - whether during return efforts by displaced residents, recovery of bodies, or agricultural rehabilitation.

 

The organisation said the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which oblige the occupying power to take all possible measures to protect civilians and to ensure the removal of war remnants from populated areas.

 

It urged Israel to immediately disclose maps and coordinates of all munitions and bombs dropped on Gaza, or those planted in specific locations, to allow for safe clearance and civilian protection.

 

The GRC also called for the creation of specialised international committees under UN supervision to conduct a comprehensive survey of unexploded ordnance across the Strip.

 

It further urged the deployment of international engineering teams equipped with the tools and expertise to remove these remnants and secure populated areas, stressing that Gaza's border crossings must be reopened to allow the entry of heavy machinery needed for debris removal and recovery operations.   - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/25 October 2025 - - -