UN official: The amount of rubble in Gaza is greater than in Ukraine, and removing it is a dangerous task

The United Nations said that the amount of rubble and rubble that must be removed in Gaza is greater than in Ukraine, and it represents a very expensive and dangerous task in the narrow Palestinian enclave, given the presence of unexploded bombs in it as well as asbestos.

The United Nations demining operations official confirmed on Wednesday that the amount of rubble and rubble that must be removed in Gaza is greater compared to Ukraine.

The official in charge of the United Nations Mine Action Service in Gaza, Mungo Birch, explained during a press conference in Geneva that, “To understand the magnitude of the matter, the battle front in Ukraine is 600 miles (about 1,000 kilometers) while Gaza is only 25 miles long.” It is all a battle front.

According to a United Nations estimate in mid-April, the problem is not limited to the amount of debris at 37 million tons, or 300 kilograms per square meter.

“These rubble are believed to contain a large number of unexploded bombs, and cleaning them up will be more complicated due to other hazards present in the rubble,” Birch added.

“We estimate that there are more than 800,000 tons of asbestos, just in the rubble of Gaza,” he said. This substance, which is hazardous to health, requires special precautions.

It is estimated that between 10 and 15% of munitions fired in war fail to explode, thus posing a constant threat to the civilian population.

Birch expressed his hope that the United Nations Mine Action Service would eventually be "able to be a coordinating body for clearing mines in Gaza and establish our own teams to dismantle mines and bombs."

The Israeli war on Gaza since October 7 has left more than 112,000 martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid famine and comprehensive destruction, according to Palestinian and UN data.

Israel continues this war despite the issuance of a resolution by the UN Security Council to stop the fighting immediately, and also despite the International Court of Justice demanding immediate measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.