Unsanitary conditions contribute to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Gaza’s new nightmare: mined canned food Peace and security
Nearly seven months after the start of a devastating and bloody war, Gazans are faced with a new threat: booby-trapped canned food.
“A 14-year-old boy was seriously injured and lost limbs after opening a booby-trapped can of food found while searching for his belongings in a destroyed house in Khan Younis,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. sector authorities. This is one of a series of cases in which people were blown up by touching food stuffed with hidden explosive devices, OCHA said.
UN demining experts estimate that throughout Gaza Some 7,500 tons of unexploded ordnance could be scattered, which could take up to 14 years to clear. To reduce the risk to civilians, the UN Mine Action Service has called on the international community to help remove explosive remnants of war.
10,000 people are buried in the rubble
OCHA also reported that more than 10 thousand people in Gaza could be buried under the rubble. Amid intense Israeli air, land and sea bombing of much of the sector, entire neighborhoods were completely destroyed. Retrieving bodies from the rubble poses a huge challenge due to a shortage of bulldozers, excavators and personnel.
“It may take up to three years to recover bodies using the primitive tools available,” OCHA said. As air temperatures rise, the process of decomposition of bodies will inevitably accelerate, potentially increasing the threat of the spread of deadly diseases.
“The nightmare in Gaza must end”
Calling for a cessation of hostilities following the Hamas terror raids in southern Israel on October 7, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell said “the nightmare in Gaza must end.” Almost all of the 600,000 children now sheltering in the southern border city of Rafah are “wounded, sick or malnourished,” she said.
More 200 days of war have already killed and maimed tens of thousands of children in Gaza
“More than 200 days of war have already killed and maimed tens of thousands of children in Gaza,” added Catherine Russell, amid growing fears that a full-scale Israeli military operation in Rafah is about to begin.
1,000-pound bombs
After Israeli troops withdrew from Khan Yunis last month, U.N. observers reported that streets and public spaces in the city were littered with unexploded ordnance. In addition, 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bombs were discovered “lying at major intersections and inside schools.” to make the once residential areas of Khan Yunis safe for local residents to return. Damage assessments are underway at UNRWA sites and mapping of high-risk areas.
Another important aspect of this work is outreach activities carried out by the UN Mine Action Service through social media, mobile phone text messages and leaflets. about 800 thousand tons of asbestos and other hazardous substances.
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