UN official warns that Gaza debris could take years to clear

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A senior official with the UN Mine Action Service revealed on April 26th that there is an estimated 37 million tonnes of debris to clear away in Gaza following the Israeli offensive, Arab News and agencies reported. 

UNMAS’ Pehr Lodhammar said that if a cleaning pursuit began with a hypothetical 100 trucks, the rubble would take 14 years to completely clear away. 

Lodhammer — who had run mine programmes — added that the possibility of buried, unexploded ordnance complicates this pursuit. He noted that it’s impossible to determine how much of the ammunition in Gaza remains live. 

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“We know that typically there is a failure rate of at least 10 percent of land service ammunition,” he said.

Additionally, the head of an aid group warned that additional Israeli assault on Rafah would spell disaster for civilians — not only in Gaza but across the Middle East more generally.

Jan Egeland — the Norwegian Refugee Council’s secretary-general — said the region faced a “countdown to an even bigger conflict,” adding that Rafah’s 1.3 million civilians seeking refuge were living in “indescribable fear” of an Israeli offensive.

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Egeland reiterated the concern of many politicians, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to proceed with the operation. Though on April 29th, Israel struck three houses in the region, killing at least 13 civilians.  

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“Netanyahu, stop this,” he urged. “It is a disaster not only for the Palestinians, it would be a disaster for Israel. You will have a stain on the Israeli conscience and history forever.” 

Egeland had also visited southern Lebanese villages that he said were caught in a “horrific crossfire” between Israel and Hezbollah, furthering his concern for full-fledged conflict. 

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“I am just scared that we haven’t learned from 2006,” he said in reference to the month-long war between Hezbollah and Israel during which he headed the UN’s relief operations.

“We do not need another war in the Middle East,” he added. “At the moment, I’m feeling like [this is a] countdown to an even bigger conflict.” 

Arab News and agencies

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