More than 435, 000 people have retreated to northern areas from displacement camps further south, including the southern city of Khan Younis, following the ceasefire that began on October 10.
Numerous people have discovered abandoned homes and neighborhoods that were once residential, tangled with metal, and even with dangerous weapons.
Ayman Qadourah has resorted to pitching his family tent over a powerful military machine known as an “explosive robot” that carried powerful bombs that flatten entire blocks while large portions of Gaza are still being occupied by Israel’s army.
Israeli deployment of remotely controlled explosive robots in Gaza’s urban areas resulted in extensive infrastructure damage.
A month ago, Qadourah returned to his Khan Younis home. He claimed that his neighbor’s home contained yet another explosive-laden device. Two more missiles struck the back of his home, causing a crater three meters deep between them.
He claimed that such unexploded devices pose a serious risk. “For instance, if any flammable liquid comes close to it, the flames will be massive, sky high.”
Qadourah worries that if one of the explosives detonates, the entire neighborhood could be destroyed. He frequently sands the machines to lessen the risk.
Over 100 explosive-laden robots exploded in Gaza over the course of the final three weeks of August, according to a report from Gaza’s government media office in early September.
More than 42, 000 buildings were damaged in the Khan Younis governorate, according to a satellite analysis from the UN Satellite Center (UNOSAT), with the city itself being the second-most populous city in the Gaza Strip, with at least 19 000 structures being damaged.
More than 227, 000 housing units have been destroyed across the Gaza Strip, according to UN estimates, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without where to go or live.
The threat from explosives across Gaza is described as “incredibly high,” according to Luke David Irving, the UN’s lead mine action officer in the occupied Palestinian territory. His agency has located at least 560 of these devices in locations it has been able to reach, though the exact size is unknown.
According to UN reports, 328 people have died or been injured by unexploded weapons since October 2023, despite the fact that it is believed that the death toll is higher.
Children of Qadourah are now dressed in the same outfits he dug up the rubble. The clothing has resulted in severe skin infections, including rashes and abscesses.
“Despite everything, we are made to live here because there aren’t any other options,” he said. He claimed that there is no where to go right now. He continued, citing the crowded conditions at the al-Mawasi camp in the south, “There isn’t an inch of space left.”
Palestinians who have remained in the south “will not budge until a permanent solution is found,” Qadourah continued.
