Gaza: Threats of explosive ordnance - UNMAS Presser | United Nations

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Press conference by Luke Irving, Chief of the Mine Action Programme, in the occupied Palestinian territories, UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), on the situation in Gaza.

Briefing reporters in New York from Gaza, the Chief of the Mine Action Program, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Luke Irving, today (29 Jan) said, “at least 92 people have been killed or injured from explosive ordnance” since October 2023, and since the ceasefire came into effect, informal reports indicate that civilians are “coming across explosive ordnance in their homes.”

Irving said, “over the past 14 months, our teams have encountered a range of explosive ordnance, including aerial bombs, mortars, rockets, projectiles, grenades and improvised explosive devices. These have killed and injured civilians in Gaza, and they have risked preventing humanitarian activities from taking place safely.”

Since the ceasefire began, he continued, “humanitarian convoys are finding items more and more as we reach new areas, which we previously could not get to.”

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Irving said, “has focussed on scaling up on our response, making sure people know how to navigate the explosive threat, particularly when returning to their homes along routes or in areas that may be contaminated.”

He said, “a lot of people might not understand the threat of what those items are, so when they come into contact with them, either picking up or moving it, it's highly dangerous. And those explosive items could then function as they were initially designed to do, and of course they are weapons of war and are deadly. So, you can imagine the impact that will have.”

UNMAS, Irving said, is also “focusing on critical infrastructure. So, getting hospitals back, power stations, etc. making sure that’s safe for other UN colleagues and humanitarians and Palestinians in Gaza to use those facilities.’

According to UNMAS, since the escalation of hostilities in Gaza after 7 October 2023, explosive ordnance has become increasingly widespread throughout the Strip. The Gaza context also deals with Deep Buried Bombs which can be found deep within infrastructures and rubble.

UNMAS website: https://www.unmas.org/en/programmes/state-palestine
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