Unexploded Bombs Littering Gaza Threaten Recovery for Decades, UN Warns

War-torn Gaza is heavily contaminated by unexploded ordnance, which frequently kill and maim people and could threaten recovery efforts far into the future, the UN said Friday. Unexploded ordnance, ranging from undetonated bombs or grenades to simple bullets, has become Read More …

Ukraine: How Drones and AI Are Helping Clear 36,000 Landmines

Four years after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine faces another crisis that will outlast the war itself: millions of landmines scattered across a thousand-kilometer front line, buried in some of the world’s best farmland. However, a remarkable transformation is underway. The HALO Read More …

Palestine Seeks International Cooperation To Clear Gaza’s Unexploded Ordnance

The Palestinian government said on Tuesday that it is partnering with international organisations to remove unexploded ordnance in Gaza, reported Xinhua. Field surveys, marking of contaminated areas, and training of local personnel have already begun in Gaza, and the Palestinian Read More …

UK charity to expand work to clear explosives in Gaza

The Gaza Strip will need extensive work to remove explosives and reconstruct amid the “immense” level of devastation caused by the war, the world’s largest landmine-clearing charity has said. The Halo Trust will be expanding its activities in the Palestinian Read More …

Child casualties from explosive weapons at record high

More children are being killed and injured by explosive weapons than at any point in modern history, a landmark report has found. It finds that explosive weapons – mainly state owned – were responsible for more than 60 per cent Read More …

Gaza: Demining mission could take 30 years

The British magazine ‘The Economist’ published a shocking report titled ‘The Risks Lurking Beneath the Rubble of Gaza,’ confirming that the devastated sector may contain more unexploded bombs than anywhere else in the world. The report warned that these munitions Read More …

UK pledges £4m to clear land mines to help flow of aid in Gaza

The UK will give £4m to help clear landmines from parts of Gaza so more aid can get in, the foreign secretary has announced. It will be used by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to demine areas preventing Read More …

Gaza: Clearing surface of bombs will take up to 30 years

Clearing the surface of Gaza of unexploded ordnance will likely take between 20 to 30 years, according to an official with aid group Humanity & Inclusion, describing the enclave as a “horrific, unmapped minefield”. More than 53 people have been Read More …

UN steps up efforts to clear explosive hazards in Gaza

As access slowly improves under the Gaza ceasefire deal, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is scaling up operations and mobilising funds to ensure the safe removal of dangerous munitions following two years of devastating bombardment. Priority is being given Read More …

UN Official Warns of Unexploded Ordnance Risks in Gaza

Chief of Mine Action Service for UNMAS in Palestine Luke Irving warned that unexploded ordnance in Gaza poses growing risks as civilians return under the ceasefire. He stressed that clearance efforts will take time and urged support for Palestinian NGOs Read More …

Gazans survive among unexploded bombs

In February, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the United States take over Gaza and take responsibility for clearing unexploded bombs and other weapons, to create the “Riviera of the Middle East”. The challenge to clear the lethal remnants, examined here Read More …

British bomb disposal expert injured in Gaza

A British bomb disposal expert has been injured in an attack on a UN facility in the Gaza Strip, the charity he works for has said. The 51-year-old, who was not named, was one of five people injured in an Read More …

Historic mine ban treaty at risk as clearance rates plummet amid escalating global conflict

The HALO Trust, the international landmine clearance organisation, has called for global recommitment to the Landmine Ban Treaty following a 10 per cent drop in the number of anti-personnel mines cleared in 2023. The steep fall in landmines cleared is Read More …

Employing Military Working Dogs in Large-Scale Combat Operations

Canines have been useful to military organizations since their domestication. Few, if any, instruments of war have the successful track record and longevity of MWDs. They remain effective in a variety of environments, including dense vegetation, subterranean complexes, and trench Read More …

Millions of dollars needed to make Gaza safe from unexploded bombs

The scale of the bombs dropped on Gaza since 7 October means that it will take millions of dollars, and many years, to decontaminate the Strip from unexploded munitions, the head of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Palestine Read More …

Explosive weapons: Civilians in populated areas must be protected

As the world urbanizes, so too do conflicts. It is estimated that some 50 million people now suffer the horrific consequences of urban warfare – a trend that is likely to continue as more and more people concentrate in towns Read More …

Hamas to halt explosive balloons in exchange for Israel easing blockade

Gaza’s Hamas rulers say they have reached an agreement through international mediators to end the latest round of cross-border violence with Israel. Under the deal, Hamas is to halt the launches of explosives-laden balloons and rocket fire into Israel, while Read More …

The launching of IED balloons from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory

During the first half of January 2020 a decision was made in the Gaza Strip to renew the launching of balloons, which had stopped in March 2019. Since the decision was put into practice dozens of balloons have been launched into Israeli Read More …

Explosive device hidden in book discovered in Gaza border community

An explosive device hidden in a book was found in an Israeli community bordering the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The device was discovered by holidaymakers near a local river at Kibbutz Re’im. Police sappers were called to the scene and Read More …

IDF strikes Hamas after drone ‘drops explosive’ across Gaza border

The explosive charge apparently damaged a military vehicle, but the IDF said no injuries were reported The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday said it struck a Hamas outpost in the Gaza Strip after an armed drone crossed over the Read More …