Union for Justice Warns of the Dangers of Unexploded Ordnance in Gaza Following the Ceasefire
October 20, 2025 – Union for Justice Foundation
The war in the Gaza Strip has left behind thousands of tons of explosive remnants and munitions, including cluster bombs, missiles, and heavy artillery shells. With the announcement of the ceasefire, a new crisis has emerged, threatening civilians’ lives daily — the widespread presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) scattered across residential neighborhoods, farmlands, and public roads. These remnants have already caused severe human and material losses and require immediate and intensive intervention. This threat is not only a security risk but also a clear violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the use of weapons that cause indiscriminate and long-term harm.
The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and other international organizations have warned that the dangers of these munitions are increasing rapidly, especially as displaced residents begin to return to their heavily bombed neighborhoods. The risk is enormous, posing a serious threat to the life and limbs of anyone in affected areas.
Unexploded ordnance are classified among the dangerous remnants of war, as defined under Protocol V of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), adopted in 2003. The protocol obliges parties to conflicts to take all feasible measures to identify, mark, and clear areas contaminated with unexploded ordnance as soon as possible after the cessation of hostilities.
Article (3) of the same protocol stipulates that the state or party that used such munitions bears legal responsibility for clearing explosive remnants of war in the territories under its control. In Gaza, this means that Israel bears full legal responsibility for removing the explosive remnants resulting from its military operations, in accordance with the principle of state responsibility for internationally wrongful acts.
The Scale of the Challenge: The Widespread Presence of Unexploded Weapons and Their Humanitarian and Environmental Risks
The war in Gaza saw intensive use of explosive weaponry by the Israeli occupation forces, resulting in massive contamination across the territory. Estimates indicate that around 70,000 tons of explosives were dropped on Gaza since the outbreak of the war in October 2023. Based on prior conflicts, between 5% and 10% of these munitions fail to detonate, turning into unexploded ordnance that pose long-term, deadly risks.
The situation is further complicated by the vast amount of debris, high levels of contamination, and the densely populated urban environment of Gaza. UXOs have already caused dozens of civilian casualties, particularly among children and women returning to their destroyed homes and abandoned farmlands. Their spread in agricultural areas also threatens food security, hinders reconstruction efforts, and blocks the return to normal life after the ceasefire.
From an environmental perspective, the presence of explosive and metallic materials contaminates soil and groundwater, posing long-term health and ecological hazards. These impacts constitute a violation of Article 55 of Additional Protocol I (1977) to the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits the use of warfare methods expected to cause widespread, long-term, and severe environmental damage.
The head of UNMAS in the occupied Palestinian territories, Mr. Luke Irving, stated that addressing the widespread contamination in Gaza will take a long time, and that UNMAS currently does not have a full picture of the threat due to the inability to conduct large-scale surveys in the past two years under severe access restrictions. Efforts are further constrained by logistical challenges, with only a limited number of armored vehicles available, restricting the number of daily risk assessments. Irving also noted that three armored vehicles remain at the border, awaiting Israeli clearance to enter Gaza — a necessary step to conduct safer and broader clearance operations.
Strategic Priorities and the International and Local Response
Despite the enormous challenges, clearing unexploded ordnance is essential to gradually restore normal life in Gaza. For early recovery to succeed, humanitarian, local, and international actors must establish clear and coordinated priorities.
Short-term priorities include:
* Opening all essential roads used by civilians, which requires the passage of engineering equipment to remove rubble — a process that itself poses risks, as debris may conceal explosive devices, requiring thorough inspection.
* Prioritizing essential infrastructure, including sewage and water systems, health centers, schools, food storage facilities, and agricultural infrastructure.
* Expanding UNMAS operations by increasing the number of operators and awarding contracts to local and international partners for explosive ordnance disposal and public risk education. There is genuine global solidarity to support and scale up this effort.
* Launching public awareness campaigns targeting children, farmers, and returning residents to help them identify UXOs and understand their risks.
* Comprehensive documentation of violations by local and international human rights organizations to build a database for future legal accountability.
* Urgent international action to clear contaminated areas under UN supervision, provide technical and material support to local teams, and legally compel Israel to bear the cost of UXO clearance and compensate victims, in accordance with principles of international justice.
Educating the public to mitigate risks is of critical importance. Specialized teams must identify and mark contaminated areas quickly, while explaining the associated dangers to communities.
Local communities and Palestinian NGOs play a vital and irreplaceable role in this regard. These organizations have been conducting targeted awareness campaigns in high-risk areas, particularly as people move into previously inaccessible or uninhabitable zones. They must receive financial and technical support to continue this life-saving work. Individuals themselves should also share awareness messages once they receive them — this information should be public and widely disseminated to protect everyone.
Under international humanitarian law, particularly the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, the Israeli occupation bears a legal obligation to protect civilians and ensure their safety even after hostilities end. The common Article (3) of the Geneva Conventions requires the protection of persons not taking part in hostilities and prohibits leaving behind remnants of war that could cause them harm. Moreover, international law obliges parties to facilitate the access of specialized humanitarian organizations — such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNMAS — to clear affected areas and enable the safe return of displaced persons.
From the standpoint of international humanitarian law, Israel’s responsibility for the ongoing danger in Gaza caused by its unexploded munitions is not optional but a binding legal, moral, and humanitarian duty that requires immediate action to protect civilians and ensure a safe living environment. The use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas without adequate precautions constitutes a violation of the principles of proportionality and distinction, further evidence of the grave breaches committed during the war.
According to the principle of state responsibility, Israel can be held accountable before competent international bodies, including the UN Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice, for failing to meet its obligations under Protocol V and the Geneva Conventions. The Palestinian Authority and human rights organizations also have the right to submit documented legal cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC), as the continued presence of these explosives constitutes an ongoing war crime.
The removal of unexploded ordnance will likely take years, possibly decades, representing a silent threat to civilian life. However, the humanitarian community emphasizes the need to maintain hope. UN officials stress the importance of taking “small daily steps” and doing everything possible to restore normal life and eliminate these deadly threats. There is an urgent need for funding and for leveraging current international solidarity to ensure that mine action efforts are expanded effectively across Gaza, addressing this crisis in a coordinated and collective manner for the greatest benefit to affected communities. Ultimately, tackling this issue represents a true test of the international community’s commitment to the principles of justice and humanity upon which the modern international legal system was founded.
