Civil Defense: 70,000 tons of explosives in Gaza pose a major threat to the population

Risks are increasing in the Gaza Strip as hundreds of thousands of citizens return to their devastated areas following the ceasefire. Meanwhile, the Civil Defense warns of a catastrophic reality threatening the lives of residents amid a near-total lack of basic necessities for life.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Civil Defense spokesman, Major Mahmoud Basal, described the situation as “a return to the rubble,” stressing that citizens have found themselves without water, electricity, or sanitation, and that public service institutions—including the Civil Defense—”have nothing to offer.”

Basal explained that Civil Defense crews receive daily calls to search for missing persons under the rubble of destroyed buildings, but rescue operations are extremely difficult due to the lack of equipment, fuel, and machinery. He noted that finding a single body could take more than 12 hours, as happened in the Rabaa family massacre.

He emphasized that the tragedy does not stop at the scale of the destruction alone, but extends to the dangers threatening the lives of those returning to their homes. He noted that “approximately 70,000 tons of explosives” left behind by Israeli airstrikes are scattered throughout the Gaza Strip, some buried under rubble, inside homes, or in the streets. He described this as “the greatest threat facing the population today.”

Basal recounted an incident that illustrates the extent of the danger, saying that he received a call one night from a citizen only to discover, upon visiting his home, that “a war missile was still in the guest room.”

He added that this example applies to thousands of families living amid unexploded bombs and buildings threatened with collapse.