UN Officials Call It Take 14 Years To Clean 37 Million Tons Of Debris In Gaza

JAKARTA - A senior UN official in Geneva said it would take about 14 years to clear large amounts of debris, including weapons that have not exploded due to the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Senior officers at the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Pehr Lodhammar said the war had caused about 37 million tons of debris in densely populated coastal areas and many urbanizations.

He said, although it was not possible to determine the exact number of weapons that had not exploded found in Gaza, it would take 14 years under certain conditions to clear up debris, including debris from the destroyed buildings.

"We know that there is usually a failure rate of at least 10 percent of land service ammunition fired and malfunctions," he said.

"We are talking about 14 years of work with 100 trucks," he said.

Separately, the death toll and injuries of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have risen again in the past 24 hours, as Israelis continue to carry out attacks.

At least 51 other Palestinians have been killed and 75 injured in the past 24 hours, as Israel continues its attack on the trapped Gaza Strip, the regional Health Ministry said on Friday.

"(Israeli occupation troops carried out five massacres of families in the Gaza Strip, leaving 51 martyrs dead and 75 injured over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement, quoted by Anadolu.

Palestinian health authorities say the death toll of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is now 34,356, while 77,368 others have been injured since the war in the Palestinian enclave broke out on 7 October.