Although a ceasefire is in effect in Gaza, the horrifying remnants of war continue to claim innocent victims. In the latest such incident, two twin siblings were injured when an unexploded Israeli bomb detonated as they were playing in the rubble of their destroyed home in Gaza City.
Tawfiq Shourbassi, the children’s grandfather, described the horrific moment to Arab media. He explained that the children found an object they mistook for a toy, which was actually an unexploded bomb that suddenly detonated. The family then faced significant difficulties rushing the wounded children to Shifa Hospital for treatment.
This tragic event highlights the grim reality on the ground. Following the ceasefire, millions of Palestinians have returned to their devastated neighborhoods. They are now living amidst mountains of debris, searching for the remains of loved ones and salvaging belongings in areas littered with unexploded ordnance.
Nick Orr, a British weapons contamination specialist with the aid group Humanity & Inclusion, put the scale of the danger into stark perspective. He stated that the level of contamination in Gaza is comparable to British cities devastated during World War II.
Orr warned that clearing the area of unexploded ordnance could take as long as 20 to 30 years. “The explosive ordnance contamination scattered here is perilous,” he said, “it’s like having minefields without a map.”
