UP TO 70 MILLION TONNES OF RUBBLE, 20,000 UNEXPLODED ORDNANCES IN GAZA

Fri 17 October 2025:

There is between 65 and 70 million tonnes of rubble and debris in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

“This rubble includes thousands of homes, facilities, and vital infrastructures deliberately destroyed by the [Israeli] occupation forces, turning the [Gaza] Strip into an environmentally and structurally devastated area and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid and relief efforts,” the office said in a statement.

“The process of removing this massive rubble faces severe obstacles, most notably the lack of heavy equipment and machinery due to the Israeli occupation’s ban on their entry, the complete closure of border crossings, and the deliberate prevention of bringing in the materials and machinery necessary to recover the bodies of victims,” it added.

The office urged Israel to open the crossings and begin the removal process.

“Preliminary estimates also indicate the presence of about 20,000 unexploded ordnances, including bombs and missiles dropped by the Israeli army, posing a grave threat to the lives of civilians and field workers. These remnants require specialised engineering and security handling before any removal or reconstruction work can begin,” the office also said.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

The prospect of rebuilding homes, businesses and all the institutions and services needed for a return to normal life in Gaza is daunting by any measure: the UN estimates that the damage amounts to $70bn.

As Prof Andreas Krieg, a Middle East security expert from King’s College London, says: “It’s worse than starting from scratch – here you aren’t starting in the sand, you are starting with rubble.”

The level of destruction on the strip is “now in the region of 84%. In certain parts of Gaza, like in Gaza City, it’s even up to 92%”, says Jaco Cilliers, UN Development Programme special representative for the Palestinians.

This damage has created colossal amounts of rubble. Assessments by BBC Verify based on recent satellite data suggest there could be over 60 million tonnes of debris waiting to be cleared in Gaza.

Any process of post-conflict reconstruction must begin by clearing the remnants of war.

The many millions of tonnes of rubble now littering the Gaza Strip are not just piles of concrete and twisted metal. They also contain human remains and unexploded bombs.

“From a safety and humane perspective, the first thing you have to do is make the sites that have been bombed-out safe,” says former JCB executive Philip Bouverat.

There follows a process of sorting, separation and crushing the debris. After materials like plastic and steel are removed, the remaining concrete can be ground up and reused.

This will lay the foundations of construction, but building efforts will require the mass import of materials.

“This isn’t going to be done by trucks coming across the border. The first thing we need to do is build a deep-water port, because then you can bring thousands of container-loads in”, Bouverat added.

When the sites are cleared, then essential services such as water, sewerage and electricity can be restored, he says.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22