Thousands of tons of unexploded ordnance remain in Gaza: Report

Quoting unnamed senior officers, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Israeli army recently launched an investigation to determine whether Palestinians used unexploded munitions to manufacture an improvised explosive device (IED) that killed three Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza last week.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army announced that three soldiers were killed and three others injured when an IED exploded under a tank in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza.

According to the report, the Israeli army has fired tens of thousands of munitions into Gaza, with the air force alone dropping approximately 30,000 bombs since the war began.

“Thousands of bombs dropped by Israeli aircraft in Gaza did not detonate, including some weighing a ton,” Channel 12 noted.

The report also revealed that some US-supplied weapons and munitions delivered to Israel during the war were found to have technical issues.

“Nearly 40% of the bombs dropped on Gaza at the start of the war were unguided or ‘dumb’ bombs,” it added.

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) stated in April 2024 that an estimated 7,500 tons of unexploded ordnance are scattered across Gaza, a cleanup process that could take up to 14 years.

Channel 12 also claimed that Hamas fighters, with expertise gained from Hezbollah and Iran, have used unexploded Israeli munitions to create IEDs, some of which killed Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed over 46,000 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.