970x125
War-torn Gaza is covered in a deadly “minefield” of hidden unexploded devices that has already killed more than 53 people and could take 20 to 30 years to clear, according to experts.
Nick Orr, an explosive ordnance disposal expert at the Humanity & Inclusion humanitarian aid group, described the Gaza Strip as a “horrific, unmapped minefield,” likening it to British cities following World War II.
“If you’re looking at a full clearance, it’s never happening,” Orr said of the effort to clear the mines. “We will find it for generations to come.”
Orr said it would take at least 30 years to locate and clear all the landmines and bombs on the surface, noting the problems with searching through the rubble in Gaza and the likely vast amount of explosives hidden in the ground.
Orr, who has traveled to Gaza several times during the two years of war, is currently part of a seven-person team assembled by Humanity & Inclusion to survey the land for explosives located near essential buildings like hospitals and bakeries.
The group is currently working to get permission from Israel to remove and destroy the explosives they find, vowing to burn the bombs to make it impossible for Hamas to reuse them.
As of Wednesday, at least 53 people have been killed by the hidden bombs, with hundreds more injured, according to the United Nations.
Aid groups like Humanity & Inclusion believe the UN’s numbers are much lower than the reality reflected on the ground.
The UN Mine Action Service has previously called for a mass public announcement effort to be launched in Gaza to warn civilians to stay away from suspicious devices as they make their way back to dangerous areas of the war-torn enclave.
De-mining dense areas can be a challenging and time consuming endeavor. It took about 22 years for Mozambique to be officially declared mine free in 2015 as a result of the African country’s War of Independence and civil war.
Even 50 years after the Fall of Saigon, Vietnam still has countless unexploded mines lurking in the ground, with about 18% of the country contaminated, according to Hanoi’s last estimate.
Since 1975, these explosives have killed an estimated 40,000 people, with another 60,000 injured, according to the Vietnam National Mine Action Center.
With Post wires
