Gaza Genocide: 37M Tonnes of Bomb-filled Debris Could Take 14 Years to Clear, Says UN Official

The genocide in Gaza has resulted in a massive amount of debris, estimated at 37 million tonnes, much of which is contaminated with unexploded ordnance.

According to a senior UN demining official, it could take over ten years to clear this hazardous debris. He also noted that since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, with ongoing bombardment.

Pehr Lodhammar, a former chief of the United Nations Mine Action Service in Iraq, emphasized the severity of the situation, mentioning that there is an average of 300 kilograms of rubble per square meter of land in Gaza.

Lodhammar explained that removing the current volume of debris would require approximately 14 years of continuous work with 100 trucks. However, the ongoing genocide raises uncertainty about the duration of this clearance effort.

Israel's intense bombing campaign in Gaza has caused widespread destruction, especially to residential buildings. Sixty-five percent of the destroyed structures were homes, posing significant challenges to the rebuilding process due to the threat of unexploded munitions hidden in the debris.