Clearing explosives in Gaza to delay rebuilding for years, MSF warns

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Jan 2025 16:29
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"It's extremely difficult to come back to the same place that used to be full of life," said Nadia Abo Mallouh, supporting MSF's medical coordination efforts.

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Palestinians return to northern Gaza, amid destroyed buildings, following "Israel's" decision to allow thousands of them to return for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war on Gaza, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Efforts to rebuild Gaza face immense obstacles, including unexploded ordnance scattered across devastated neighborhoods, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The humanitarian organization warned that clearing these remnants of war will take years, significantly delaying the reconstruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services.

"People are trying to rebuild from the rubble. Rafah is destroyed, with homes, shops, streets and healthcare facilities in ruins and electricity and water systems damaged. The area is also unsafe due to scattered unexploded artillery in the remnants of buildings, which will take years to clean," said Pascale Coissard, part of MSF's emergency coordination team.

The city of Rafah, which suffered heavy damage during the war, remains largely uninhabitable. Coissard said that without health services and broader humanitarian aid, resuming daily life in many areas of Gaza will remain impossible.

"Health services, including the rest of humanitarian aid, and rebuilding of the city is needed for life to be able to come back to Rafah, but it's still too dangerous for people to return in most areas," she stated, stressing the ongoing risks even after the ceasefire.

Although bombings have ceased, dangers persist in the form of hidden explosives. The psychological toll on residents and aid workers returning to these areas is also profound.

Nadia Abo Mallouh, supporting MSF's medical coordination efforts, described the emotional pain of seeing once-bustling places reduced to ruins. "It's extremely difficult to come back to the same place that used to be full of life," she said.

Recalling her work at the Emirati Hospital, she added: "We couldn't even recognise the streets where the Emirati Hospital was. It's sad seeing the hospital that used to bring life to earth totally empty, no signs of life, everything is destroyed."

15 months of war has left Rafah city, in the south of Gaza, Palestine, in ruins.

Pascale Coissard takes us to what used to be Emirati hospital’s maternity ward. And Hadi Abo-Eneen shows us what used to be his family home. pic.twitter.com/jpCoqsHfaw
— MSF International (@MSF) January 25, 2025

The ceasefire in Gaza, which began on January 19, brought an end to active hostilities in the region. However, the conflict left behind immense devastation, with more than 159,000 Palestinians killed or injured, the majority of them women and children. Over 11,000 people remain unaccounted for beneath the rubble.