Al Jazeera television in Qatar stated that it might take at least 14 years to ensure that the Gaza Strip is secure from unexploded munitions, citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
UN estimates place the amount of wreckage left over from Israel’s assault of Gaza at over 37.5 million metric tons, most of it loaded with unexploded bombs and other weapons.
Consequently, it may take 14 years to clean the war debris from Gaza, with the northern Gaza Strip suffering the most damage, followed by Khan Younis, Deir al Balah, and Rafah.
“Over 200 days of relentless violence and devastation have further exacerbated psychological needs [in Gaza], particularly among more than a million children estimated by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund – TASS) as requiring mental health and psycho-social support,” Al Jazeera quoted OCHA as saying in its latest flash update.
On October 7, 2023, militants from the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, which is based in the Gaza Strip, staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and kidnapping over 240 hostages, including women, children, and the elderly. This incident sparked tensions throughout the Middle East.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City was the target of Israeli authorities’ harsh activities, which prompted Hamas to launch its attack.
Israel began a ground assault within the enclave after declaring a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and launching rocket attacks on Gaza, some districts of Lebanon, and areas of Syria. There are also clashes happening on the West Bank.
