UN deminers: Clearing Gaza of unexploded munitions could take about 14 years

Clearing unexploded munitions and the rubble left by months of bombardment in Gaza could take about 14 years, Per Lodhammer, a senior officer with the United Nations Mine Action Service, said on Friday.

Lodhammer told UN News that the war has left an estimated 37,000,000 tons of debris and that ‘‘each affected square metre contained some 200 kilograms of rubble.’’ He said at least 10% of ammunition fired may fail to function, and that the demining estimate—calculated on the basis of using about 100 trucks—represents roughly 750,000 person-workdays of labor.

The scale of the wreckage and unexploded ordnance complicates humanitarian access and reconstruction. The UN News bulletin further reported that leaders of 18 nations, including the United States, called for the release of remaining hostages taken during attacks by Hamas in southern Israel. Israel reportedly believes more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attacks that prompted the current Israeli bombardment.

The bulletin cited casualty figures from both sides: it said the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel killed about 1,250 people, while Gaza health authorities reported more than 34,350 Palestinians killed and over 77,000 injured to date.

The long demining timeline and the scale of rubble Lodhammer described underscore the multi-year challenge of making large areas safe again for civilians and reconstruction crews.