Press release: Killing long after they fall – the cost of active warfare and unexploded ordnance on civilians in Gaza

Killing long after they fall, a new report published by DRC today reveals the extent of risk caused by unexploded ordnance to civilians in Gaza, including in neighbourhoods where people return after these have seen active fighting. Among one hundred people surveyed for this report, nearly three quarters are returning to such areas looking for safety, greatly increasing the risk of encountering explosive ordnance.

The report highlights the devastating human cost of Israel’s 13-month offensive where explosive weapons are continuously fired into civilian areas in one of the world’s most densely populated regions. With the death toll exceeding 43,000 - 70% of whom are children and women according to recent UN estimates, DRC warns that the remnants of war will continue to claim lives long after the fighting ceases.  

According to Lilu Thapa, DRC’s Executive Regional Director for the Middle East “Without urgent action, these violations will continue to devastate lives. The international community must use its leverage to end this mass suffering, starting with a commitment to ensure they are not complicit in fuelling it. Real steps must be taken to halt the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and to uphold humanitarian law designed to protect civilians.”

Despite understanding the risk posed by unexploded ordnance, estimates show that more than half of people in Gaza resort to searching through rubble for essentials. The dire humanitarian situation made worse by critical shortages of humanitarian aid and commercial goods and appalling disregard for civilian lives has led to a situation when scavenging for survival means risking injury or death.

“People in Gaza are risking their lives just to put clothes on their children's backs. They face threats from every direction, the threat of starvation due to an almost total blockade of aid and goods, the constant risk of bombs and bullets, and the ever-present danger of unexploded ordnance, a threat that will stay long after the fighting subsides.” 

The analysis also reveals critical gaps in aid response capabilities, hindered by severe operational restrictions imposed by Israeli forces and the constraints of active conflict, leaving victims of explosive ordnance without sufficient access to emergency medical are, physical therapy or mental health services.

Key findings include:

⦁ 70% of people had returned to areas that had seen active fighting, heightening their risk of encountering explosive ordnance (EO).   

⦁ Despite understanding the dangers posed by explosive ordnance and its widespread presence in Gaza, 58% of people had sifted through rubble for essential supplies and personal effects, including children’s clothing.  

⦁ Nearly a quarter (23%) of people knew someone who had been injured or killed by EO. Incidents include children playing with EO, people encountering EO when returning to their homes and people mistakenly picking up EO in piles of firewood. The dense population of displacement sites also caused multiple incidents to injure numerous individuals.

⦁ Only 19% of EO victims receive emergency first aid, and long-term medical support is virtually non-existent, with just 6% accessing physical therapy and 1% obtaining mental health services. 

The international community must ensure that no party to the conflict acts with impunity and continuously undermine international humanitarian law. All necessary pressure should be applied to ensure that Israel ends the siege on Gaza and facilitates uninterrupted aid and humanitarian access.

“There is currently no accountability or transparency for the policies and actions that keep ravaging Gaza. The continued failure to enforce these principles starkly illustrates a global double standard, one that enables Israel to act with apparent impunity despite its significant violations of international humanitarian law. Palestinians in Gaza need humanitarian aid and a ceasefire, inaction to secure them looks more like absolute indifference by the day.” – Lilu Thapa, DRC’s Executive Regional Director for the Middle East.