Gaza is now a city of mines

Three days after the ceasefire in Gaza, Mohammed Noor and his family returned to Gaza City from Khan Younis. Their homes had been destroyed by Israeli attacks. Then, having no other choice, they pitched a tent behind Al-Shifa Hospital. There was destruction and dust all around. One day, Noor asked his son to bring cardboard to light a fire. While searching for wood in the rubble, an explosion suddenly occurred. Noor’s 11-year-old son and two nephews were immediately seriously injured. Thousands of unexploded bombs dropped by Israel are scattered across Gaza. The besieged Gaza has now become a ‘city of mines’.

When children in Gaza go out in search of wood or food, they often step on mines, resulting in casualties. The United Nations has also warned that every rubble, every street, and even inside homes in Gaza now poses a risk of explosion. As people try to return home or rebuild, these unexploded ordnance have become a new terror in their lives. “I saw the bodies of children being scattered in the explosion. I ran and saw my son and my siblings hanging from the fence. It was terrible,” Noor said. Noor’s sister, Ghadir al-Ankar, rushed to see her son also covered in blood. All the injured children were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital. Video released by the dropsite shows Noor’s son Zain covered in bruises and his leg bones separated.

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said five children were injured that day by unexploded ordnance, two of them in critical condition. The agency said a large number of unexploded ordnance remained in Gaza after the ceasefire. It is known that at least 52 Palestinians have been killed and 267 injured by unexploded ordnance alone since October 2023. However, the real number is believed to be much higher.

UNMAS chief Luke Irving said, “Gaza is now a virtual minefield. The 10,000 tons of bombs that Israel has dropped on Gaza are more than the total bombs dropped on London, Dresden and Hamburg during World War II.” They estimate that 5-10 percent of the weapons dropped on Gaza have not yet exploded.

Israeli media outlet Harzot reported that as of April 2025, the Israeli Air Force knew of at least 3,000 unexploded bombs. UNMAS has so far identified 560 such weapons. However, they said that the real number is not known until a full survey is carried out.

Bulldozers are still working on the broken roads in Gaza City. Men are searching for wood and essential items in the rubble. “When I came back for the second time, everything was completely destroyed. It was a terrible scene, with roads blocked, metal and bomb remnants all around.” Israel is still not allowing even minimal humanitarian aid into Gaza. As a result, it has become impossible to start removing the unexploded bombs. Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said, "There are currently about 71,000 tons of explosives in Gaza. They could explode at any time. This could happen due to the carelessness of children or during rescue operations." Bassal added that Israel has killed 90 percent of the engineering units in Gaza and destroyed essential equipment. Now, expert teams and equipment are urgently needed to deal with this danger. Gaza will remain at extreme risk until they are removed.

Palestinians suffering from hunger and cold

Even after the ceasefire came into effect, the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza has not decreased. Gaza is extremely distressed by hunger and medical shortages due to the Israeli blockade. In the meantime, the valley is facing even more serious dangers due to the cold and continuous attacks. Al-Jazeera reported on Monday that Israel's attacks on Gaza have not stopped even after the ceasefire announced by the United States. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 236 Palestinians have been killed and more than 600 injured in a month. Gaza hospitals reported three deaths and three more bodies recovered from collapsed buildings in the past 24 hours as of Monday. The Gaza Health Ministry said 500 more Palestinian bodies have been recovered from the rubble of collapsed houses since the ceasefire began. All of them were victims of two years of Israeli bombardment and destruction. On Sunday, the Palestinian government media office alleged that Israeli forces have violated the agreement at least 194 times during the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza since October 10. The agency's director Ismail al-Thawabteh told Anadolu Agency in an interview that the violations include military incursions across the so-called "yellow line", shooting and shelling, airstrikes, destruction and preventing medical supplies, medicine, tents and mobile homes from entering Gaza. He added, "We had hoped that the agreement would bring some relief, but it did not." Ismail said his office is submitting daily reports to international mediators about the violations.

The Palestinian armed group Hamas has returned the bodies of three more hostages to Israel. They handed the bodies over to the Red Cross on Sunday night. The Red Cross then handed the bodies of the dead hostages over to Israel. "Israel has received the coffins of three dead hostages through the Red Cross. They were handed over to members of the Defense Forces and the Shin Bet intelligence agency in Gaza. The bodies will be sent to an identification center for identification," the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement. Hamas's armed wing had earlier said it had recovered the bodies from a tunnel in southern Gaza on Sunday morning.