- Beneath the widespread destruction in Gaza lies a massive threat from ordnance or unexploded bombs. Experts warn it could take 20 to 30 years to clear these hidden weapons, turning the area into a dangerous, unmapped minefield for generations.
- The United Nations estimates there are tens of millions of tons of rubble, with over 90 percent of residential buildings damaged or destroyed. The recovery cost is estimated at $70 billion and will take decades.
- The destruction of roads and infrastructure is complicating rescue work. Furthermore, aid agencies are blocked from importing specialized equipment and lack the permits needed to remove or destroy the unexploded bombs, crippling their ability to make the area safe.
- Even after active conflict, unexploded bombs continue to kill and injure Palestinians returning to their homes.
- Recovery is more than just rebuilding Gaza. It requires a massive, long-term mobilization. The first steps involve clearing rubble and unexploded bombs, then repairing buried water and sewer systems to prevent disease outbreaks, before large-scale construction of homes and hospitals can even begin.
The widespread destruction of infrastructure and roads is complicating rescue efforts in Gaza, but a far more sinister and long-lasting threat lies hidden beneath the millions of tons of rubble: unexploded bombs.
As explained by the Enoch AI engine at BrightU.AI, clearing these hidden weapons could take decades, effectively turning the area into a dangerous and unmapped minefield for generations. The sheer scale of the problem is staggering. According to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), between five to 10 percent of weapons fired into Gaza have failed to detonate, leaving behind deadly hazards.
Since October 2023, at least 92 people have been killed or injured by explosive ordnance. Luke Irving, Chief of the UNMAS, has said that there have been 24 victims since the ceasefire began in the occupied Palestinian territories. UNMAS has also reported that there are tons of ruins in Gaza because of intense attacks on residential buildings over seven months.
It could take decades to clear the rubble and unexploded ordnance in Gaza
Clearing the debris could take up to a decade, and that daunting timeline does not even account for the painstaking and dangerous work of locating and neutralizing unexploded ordnance (UXO) buried within that wreckage.
An official with the humanitarian group Humanity & Inclusion has described a far grimmer prognosis for this specific task, stating that clearing Gaza’s surface of unexploded bombs could take between 20 and 30 years. The reality may be even more permanent.
Nick Orr, an explosives expert with the organization, noted that a full clearance is impossible because much of the dangerous material is subterranean, meaning it will be found for generations to come. A surface-level cleanup might be achievable within a generation, but only if access is granted and the necessary specialized equipment is allowed into the territory.
The human cost of this hidden war is already being tallied. More than 53 people have been killed and hundreds injured by leftover munitions, according to a UN-led database that is widely believed to under-report the true toll. These are not just statistics; they are Palestinians returning to the remnants of their homes, only to be killed or maimed by a conflict they thought had moved on.
Efforts to address the crisis are being hampered at every turn. A seven-member team from Humanity & Inclusion is preparing to begin identifying unexploded ordnance in critical locations like hospitals and bakeries. However, Israel has yet to issue the permits required for the actual removal or destruction of these weapons.
Aid agencies remain barred from importing key supplies that Israel classifies as having “dual use” potential, further crippling their ability to work effectively.
In a bid to overcome these obstacles, the organization is seeking permission to use a method of burning away explosives rather than detonating them, hoping to address Israeli security concerns. Despite these efforts, the work will amount to a very small chipping away at a very big problem.
A reconstruction challenge beyond money
The broader picture of Gaza’s recovery is one of almost unimaginable devastation. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimates that Gaza’s recovery will cost $70 billion and will take decades, with $20 billion required in the next three years just to begin reconstruction. The agency reports that 55 million tons of rubble must be cleared, of which a negligible fraction, only 81,000 tons, has been removed so far.
The numbers paint a portrait of utter ruin. The UNDP states that around 500,000 housing units have been destroyed, along with 835 mosques, three churches and 40 cemeteries.
A staggering 92 percent of all residential buildings have been damaged or demolished. With 83 percent of all structures in Gaza City affected, the very ability of the land to support life is in question. The Gaza Strip has been razed to the ground.
Yet, Gaza needs more than money to rebuild. It is a disaster zone on a scale comparable to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane.
The immediate priorities are, of course, sustaining life with food, medicine and clean water. But the reconstruction phase presents challenges that cash alone cannot quickly solve.
The first step is reconstituting buried assets like power lines, water pipes and sewerage systems. While the original layouts may be known from city maps, the infrastructure itself is likely cracked, broken, or destroyed. Failure to repair it will lead to outbreaks of deadly diseases like typhus and dysentery.
Furthermore, damaged houses and public buildings present huge public safety risks of collapse, requiring massive demolition and clearance efforts for millions of tonnes of debris.
Simultaneously, the clearance of unexploded ordnance must proceed before large-scale construction can safely begin. Following these immediate tasks will be the monumental effort of constructing or repairing hospitals, houses, schools and road systems, all of which have been massively compromised.
The effort is likely to be a major mobilization exercise for many years, no matter how much money is donated. The path forward is fraught. Efforts to begin the cleanup have been repeatedly disrupted, and the recent ceasefire, while holding for now, is fragile.
The people of Gaza are trapped not only in the ruins of their past but in a present filled with invisible threats that will define their dangerous and challenging future for the next 30 years.
Watch this clip as thousands of residents return to the wastelands of Gaza City.
This video is from the Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
Sources include:
TheCradle.co
Reuters.com
TheConversation.com
News.UN.org
BrightU.AI
Brighteon.com
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