The UN's mine action programme chief in the occupied Palestinian territories has said that the organisation is "deeply concerned about the heightened risk" posed by Israeli explosive ordnance in besieged Gaza, warning that dangers will persist for years.
"As of today, 328 victims of explosive ordnance, including injuries and deaths, have been reported to UNMAS (UN Mine Action Service) since October 2023. We expect that this figure is significantly under-reported," Luke Irving said at a virtual news conference, adding that many more have likely been wounded or killed by ordnance littering Gaza in the last two years.
Noting that the UNMAS has identified at least 560 items of explosive ordnance in accessible parts in the enclave, Irving stressed that "we will not know the full extent of contamination in Gaza until a comprehensive survey can take place and can be done."
"We expect to find many more items in the coming weeks as we can access more areas under the ceasefire," he said, adding that the UN is "deeply concerned about the heightened risk about these items pose in the coming days, weeks, months and years."
Efforts going on
UNMAS has reached approximately 460,000 people with in-person risk education, including in displacement shelters and health centres, and has produced over 400,000 materials such as flyers and stickers, Irving reported.
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, Irving said that early recovery work involves clearing "some estimated 50 to 60 million tons of debris which may have been contaminated with explosive ordnance," ensuring aid can reach affected populations safely.
To restore service and expand humanitarian access since a ceasefire that took effect in early October, he stated that UNMAS has received nearly 100 requests for mine action support from UN partners since October 10, averaging about 10 new requests per day.
On funding, he said if UNMAs receives "another $14 to $15 million, we can bring on another 45 operators and surgeons for the next six months."
Emphasising the long-term nature of the threat, Irving said, "We know from previous experience and generally with conflicts, there's going to be a large-scale contamination. There's always explosive ordinance that remains."
