Thousands of Unexploded Israeli Bombs Threaten Lives as Gaza Clears Debris, Finds Bodies

October 27, 2025 | 04:52 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel’s restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery are impeding the efforts of Gaza City to clear debris and rebuild essential infrastructure. During a press conference on Sunday, October 26, 2025, Gaza Mayor Yahya al-Sarraj stated that the city needs at least 250 heavy vehicles and 1,000 tons of cement to repair the water network and build wells.

Quoted by Al Jazeera, at least 9,000 Palestinians are still buried under the rubble. The report claims that the new equipment needed by residents is instead being prioritized for the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages. Footage circulating on social media shows Red Cross vehicles arriving in southern Gaza after a meeting with Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, to locate hostages in Rafah.

An Israeli government spokesperson stated that the Red Cross and Egypt have been allowed to cross the ceasefire line, or the "yellow line," which allows Israel to maintain control over 58 percent of the Gaza Strip.

Threat from Unexploded Ordnance

The Gaza recovery process is also severely hindered by unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Nicholas Torbet, the Middle East Director of the HALO Trust, stated, "Some munitions are designed to linger, but what we’re concerned about in Gaza is ordnance that is expected to explode upon impact but hasn’t."

Torbet mentioned that his team is working directly within the community to safely remove the UXO. "The best way to dispose of a bomb is to use a small amount of explosives to blow it up," he said.

Palestinian Civil Defense spokesperson, Mahmoud Basal, told Al Jazeera that Israel dropped at least 200,000 tons of ordnance in the area, around 70,000 tons of which failed to explode. Basal stated that many unexploded munitions are found within residential buildings, roads, and farmland, making every rescue operation a life-threatening task.

Thousands of Munitions Still Buried

According to The New Arab, tens of thousands of unexploded ordnance are still scattered across the Gaza Strip after two years of Israeli offensives. The Gaza Rights Center (GRC) warned that these remnants threaten the safety of residents, hinder humanitarian efforts, and slow down rescue operations.

The GRC estimated about 20,000 munitions, including bombs, missiles, and artillery shells, are still buried among 65-70 million tons of rubble, with a total weight of 71,000 tons. "This has made Gaza one of the most dangerous places on earth," the GRC wrote.

The GRC recorded several recent explosions from UXO, including one in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, which killed three people while they were clearing debris around their homes. Other incidents occurred in the Nuseirat refugee camp and the city of Al-Qarara in Khan Younis.

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