9/21/2024–|Last update: 9/21/202408:56 AM (Makkah Time)
Handicap International warned on Friday that unexploded ordnance is one of the biggest long-term problems in Gaza, confirming its presence throughout the Strip and its prevention of humanitarian aid.
This came on the sidelines of the 30th edition of the “Shoe Pyramid” event organized by the NGO, an event held annually to raise public awareness about the damage caused by bombs and mines to civilians, and organized on Saturday and Sunday in Paris and Lyon.
During the event, the NGO’s mine action officer in the occupied Palestinian territories, Nicholas Orr, will give his testimony after two missions to the Gaza Strip.
“dangerous situation”
In a statement to Agence France-Presse, Orr said that after nearly a year of war, bombs, artillery shells and other unexploded weapons are present in the smallest places in Gaza, preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid and the establishment of health or medical infrastructure.
He stressed that the situation in Gaza is very dangerous, noting that one of the biggest problems in Gaza currently is access to damaged buildings, due to the presence of unexploded ordnance.
He pointed out that civilians have nowhere to go because it is impossible to “protect civilians to dismantle unexploded weapons.”
While waiting for a ceasefire, the organization is working on the ground and reporting on some of the munitions that have been spotted, sometimes with red paint to warn of their danger.
“Paris and London are still removing World War II munitions,” he continued, and in Gaza removing unexploded ordnance “will require a concerted effort and a lot of money on the part of the international community, and a lot of effort by humanitarian actors.”
Unexploded ordnance in Gaza is buried under the rubble of buildings and poses a danger to civilians who sometimes collect their belongings from underneath.