Unexploded ordnance poses big threat to people in Gaza: UN body

Unexploded ordnance poses a massive threat to people in the Gaza Strip as more people return to areas that have been bombarded or seen heavy fighting, a UN refugee agency said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

"Children rummaging through rubble face terrible risks every day. Nowhere is safe in Gaza," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said in a post on the social media platform X.

Over 37 million tons of debris in the Gaza Strip contain about 800,000 tons of asbestos, other contaminants, and unexploded ordnance, according to the United Nations Mine Action Service. At least 10 percent of the fired ammunition potentially failed to function.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza climbed to 37,877, the Gaza-based health authorities said on Sunday.