The Bombs Under Gaza’s Rubble Wait to Explode

On top of the mass destruction that Gaza has suffered for the past 10 months, today many local and international organizations are asking what will happen to the unexploded bombs dropped by Israeli warplanes and which now lie under the mass rubble and wreckage of Gaza.

They are deeply worried that another disaster is about to happen because of the large quantity of unexploded bombs and missiles deeply buried under the rubble womb of Gaza.

French newspaper ‘Libération’ reported the Israeli assaults on over 40,000 estimated targets in the Strip created about 39 million tons of rubble in the tiny area of Gaza that spans only 41 kilometers.

According to the report, typically, one in 10 conventional bombs do not detonate. With the ongoing genocide on Gaza and the repeated displacements of 100s of thousands of Palestinians, the risk of accidents and explosions from these unexploded ordnance increases.

Experts warn that each layer of debris could conceal unseen, unexploded ordnance, as reported in the Quds News Network.

The problem becomes riskier because the Israeli army – tanks and warplanes –  is bombing different areas countless times. Jabalia, Tal Al Hawa, Sheikh Radwan, Shujaiya, Nuseirat and many others are being bombed twice, thrice and a fourth time which means the likehood of these “dormant” bombs exploding becomes much higher.

Comstant, bombings, explosion, TNT powder is like to have a health and environmental impacts on the area because of the derivatives this Israeli war is having on localities and spaces: 800,000 tons of asbestos, thousands of bodies, and toxic, organic, and the chemical materials that now lie deeply buried under the rubble.

This is not to say anthing about the hospitals – 36 of them – that have also been subject to endless bombings and military encroachment. Some of these hospitals like Al Shifa Complex in Gaza City is completely destroyed by the Israeli army and now lie in ruin and houses radioactive equipment and biological materials. These now lie beneath the debris like ticking time-bombs.

Expert were always worried about the thousands of unexploded shells and missiles dropped, stating these pose a long-term dangers to the population of Gaza. The UN has estimated that 10% of the ordnance dropped by the Israeli military on the Strip have not  exploded. This means they lie under the scattered streets, lands and homes that have been turned into rubble and debris.

The Government Media Office has warned about recurring incidents of explosions in homes, particularly from canisters made to deceive and harm civilians, especially children. There have been numerous injuries from such devices.

Expert voices inside Gaza and the international community have been made to send specialized engineering teams and explosive experts, and equip and provide local authorities with the necessary technical resources to deal with bomb removal and other hazards safely. But these have been ignored by the Israelis.

Danish newspaper ‘Information’ reported in the first three months of the war on Gaza, around 45,000 bombs were dropped, averaging 500 bombs per day or 21 bombs per hour. This extensive bombing has damaged/or destroyed 50-62% of all buildings in Gaza, according to a study by New York University in collaboration with the University of Oregon. The newspaper warned of severe long-term consequences due to the thousands of unexploded bombs, impacting Palestinians’ recovery efforts after the war according to the Quds News Network.

Unexploded bombs are dangerous to the future of Gaza and would remain apparent after the war ends when the removal of the debris and reconstruction starts. Thus, the demining process is likely to be long-term and of hindrance to the development of Gaza especially in densely-populated areas.

The report noted over 14% of bombs dropped in Gaza remain unexploded, far exceeding earlier estimates of about 6,300 bombs and missiles in the first three months of the conflict.

The presence of numerous unexploded bombs are forcing residents to live in a perpetual war-situation. This is even when the bombs stop raining down, tanks cease fire and the trauma subsides. We are still at stage one of the war; the second stage is who is going to clear these ticking time bombs.