The UN reported on Wednesday that Gaza has accumulated more debris than Ukraine, attributing the challenge to the dangerous and costly task of removing asbestos and unexploded ordnance.
After six months of conflict between Israel and Hamas, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) calculated that as of mid-April, the Gaza Strip holds 37 million tonnes of debris, approximately 300 kilograms per square meter.
Mungo Birch, the head of the UNMAS program in the Palestinian territories, emphasized the striking comparison: “Gaza’s rubble exceeds that of Ukraine, which has a front line stretching nearly 1,000 kilometers, whereas Gaza spans only 40 kilometers.”
UNMAS pointed out that the massive rubble amount presents multiple problems. The rubble likely contains high levels of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and is further complicated by hazardous materials such as asbestos, Birch explained to journalists in Geneva. He noted the presence of over 800,000 tonnes of asbestos in the debris, a cancer-causing material requiring special handling.
Typically, 10 to 15 percent of fired munitions fail to explode on impact, posing ongoing risks to civilians. Birch expressed his hope that UNMAS would lead mine action coordination in Gaza. The agency has received $5 million in funding but requires an additional $40 million to continue its Gaza operations over the next year.
