Families returning to parts of Gaza face danger of unexploded bombs underground
Clearing rubble to take decades, leaving deadly bombs buried beneath the surface
While fighting in the air may have stopped in Gaza, danger remains for Palestinians returning to parts of the war-torn territory due to unexploded bombs on the ground.
They blend in with the mounds of rubble and destruction.
Efforts are underway in Gaza to locate and remove these bombs, starting in the southern Gaza city of Rafah — which saw some of the heaviest combat in the 15-month-long long war between Israel and Hamas. But mines advisory groups say in order to address the large amount of unexploded ordnances (UXO) left behind, a wider response is critical.
For Gazans, it's an added fear of death despite a ceasefire that has halted air and ground offensives.
"We're scared for the young ones, for our families," said Raed Al-Akka, a 27-year-old father of three from Rafah, told CBC News
"I'm scared of leaving my house and encountering a rocket that explodes on me or my wife or my children, or in the street on my neighbours … anywhere."
With access to Gaza still limited, especially in the first stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, it is challenging to estimate the likely scale of contamination of explosives at this stage, said Greg Crowther, director of programmes with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG).
"It's clear that there will be a significant threat to life and a long-term barrier to reconstruction efforts," Crowther said in an email to CBC News Friday.
A 'dangerous environment'
For now, their focus is on risk education in the territory.
MAG, which had helped to clear Gaza of landmines after conflicts in 2008 and 2009, partnered with Save Youth Future Society, and deployed 20 risk education teams across Gaza to teach communities how to stay safe around explosive hazards through recognizing, avoiding and reporting possible hazards. They have delivered sessions to more than 160,000 people since launching in September 2024.
Crowther said that because Gaza is densely populated and highly urbanized, the use of explosive weapons has had a "particularly devastating effect."
"Beyond what is visible, you also have to factor in items that have so far failed to detonate but remain hidden, putting people at risk — this creates a dangerous environment especially as people return to their home location and dig through rubble," he said.
The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has previously warned about explosive ordnances that have become "increasingly widespread," across the tiny coastal enclave that has been under heavy bombardment by Israel.
It said its explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams have encountered aerial bombs, mortars, rockets, all-calibre projectiles, grenades and improvised explosive devices.
Deep buried bombs common in Gaza
In Gaza specifically, deep buried bombs are found underneath or within infrastructures and under rubble.
"As families return to their homes, we are rapidly increasing our capacity to mitigate the risk of explosive ordnance to civilians and humanitarians alike," UNMAS said in a post on X Monday.
As more Palestinians return to different parts of the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire which began Sunday, a UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tonnes of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel's bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion US.
Mohammed Muqdad, head of the Rafah's explosives department, said its teams began to locate and remove the weapons in the first phase of the ceasefire.
"Rafah specifically has been afflicted, the majority of the area has been destroyed," Muqdad told CBC News Wednesday.
"We have been dealing with dozens of remaining unexploded ordnances that we transport to safe areas to eventually get rid of them."
Kids being taught to recognize the weapons
So far, the teams have completed more than 120 calls to remove UXOs, working each day since Sunday.
"The team is continuing to work on further removing other ordnances from residential areas," he said. "We're doing as much as we can to lift and remove [them]."
Muqdad said the teams have removed bombs that are used in aircraft, such as MK, GBU 39, cannon and tank bombs, but require special technical equipment to clear the much larger explosives.
Authorities have asked residents to stay away from certain areas that are dangerous and believed to have a large number of these devices.
Some ordnances, such as smaller explosives that are ejected from cluster munitions, may not look like ordinary threats to children at first, which can be a danger.
Crowther said children also participate in the risk education sessions to be aware of the types of weapons used in the war.
"It's especially important to share this information with them, as their natural curiosity can put them at greater risk of injury should they come across explosive weapons and simply assume they are toys," he said.
Al-Akka called on experts to remove the explosives.
"So we can take our freedom and go to our homes, remove the rubble and sit in our homes," Al-Akka said.
"We've seen enough martyrs and bloodshed in the war."
Limited co-ordination, capability in Gaza
Crowther said explosive threat assessments and survey activities in addition to technical equipment must be expanded to allow for a wider humanitarian response.
"There is currently limited co-ordination and capability to carry out these activities, both in terms of the technical equipment required, and the number of qualified personnel that are currently in Gaza," Crowther said.
More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the 15-month war, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Due to the chaos of war, verifying the exact number of casualties has been challenging and subject to scrutiny.
The coastal enclave has been largely demolished by Israel's military following Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. That assault killed 1,200 people with around 250 hostages taken into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Some 94 Israelis and foreigners remain held in Gaza. It is unclear how many are alive.
The Palestinian Civil Defence said it is searching for an estimated 10,000 bodies believed to be remaining under the rubble.
A peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet on Jan. 9 suggests that the official figures of deaths in Gaza may be significantly underestimated. On June 30, 2024, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 37,877 deaths; the study estimated the number was likely around 64,200 by that date.
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With files from CBC's Mohamed El Saife