UNRWA: 70% Of Israeli War Remnants Threaten Gazans’ Life

Gaza, 17 Rabi’ul Akhir 1437/27 January 2015 (MINA) – One year after the Israeli summer offensive on Gaza in 2014, more than 7,000 explosive remnants of war are estimated to remain in the blockaded Gaza Strip, UNRWA reported.

According to the UNRWA, only 30 per cent of explosive war remnants has been identified and removed, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The remaining 70 per cent, however, pose a threat to the population of Gaza, especially children and adults who work in agricultural land littered with war remnants.

Since the beginning of the 2014 offensive, 16 people have been killed and 90 wounded, including 38 children, due to contact with these unexploded remnants, the report added.

With the support from the Italian Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, UNRWA and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) will conduct a wide-range of outreach activities on safety and risk education on explosive war remnants.

The Explosives Engineering Unit at the Palestinian Interior Ministry said unexploded bombs and rockets are estimated to exist underneath 40 civilian homes across the blockaded Gaza Strip.(T/P008/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)