Unexploded mines in Gaza pose enormous risks to Palestinians returning home, says NGO

Unexploded mines in Gaza pose "enormous" risks for displaced Palestinians returning home, NGO Handicap International warned on Tuesday, AFP reported. 

The NGO, which specialises in mine clearance and assistance to victims of anti-personnel mines, called for the entry of equipment needed for demining.

"The risks are enormous - an estimated 70,000 tons of explosives have been dropped on Gaza" since the start of the war, said Anne-Claire Yaeesh, the organisation's director for the Palestinian territories. "The layers of rubble and levels of accumulation are extremely high," Yaeesh added. 

She warned that the risks are aggravated by the "extremely complex" nature of the environment, due to the limited space in densely populated urban areas.

In January, the United Nations' Mine Action Service estimated that "five to 10 percent" of the munitions fired on Gaza had not exploded.