Aid organization says ‘thousands’ in Gaza at risk from unexploded bombs

PARIS – Unexploded bombs and shells buried in the ruins of Gaza could kill or injure thousands of people in the future, an aid organization warns.

The volume of ordnance dropped on Gaza during 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas is “mind-boggling,” says Simon Elmont, a demining expert with Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion.

“The amount of ordnance that has been fired is an enormous quantity,” Elmont tells AFP, adding that between nine and 13 percent of munitions fail to explode on initial impact.

“It is going to be tens of thousands of unexploded ordnance, that’s for sure,” he adds.

He says that the contamination level in Gaza is massive, and much of the ordnance “lies mainly within the rubble and underneath the surface.”

Hamas and Israel have agreed on a ceasefire, which came into effect on January 19 and ushered in a fragile calm.

Elmont warns of the risk of multiple deaths and injuries as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians return home to recover their belongings and try to rebuild.

Citing recent video footage, the expert says a Gazan child was hospitalized after another child threw a grenade at him, “believing it was a toy.”