GAZA CITY, Palestine

The explosive engineering teams of the Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip continue to neutralize and safely dispose the explosive remnants of war left by the Israeli army following the ceasefire that halted the Israeli genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave.

Anadolu reporter spotted the war remnants spread in residential areas, posing real threats on the people who return to inspect their homes and areas.

The items left by the Israeli army include unexploded munitions such as artillery shells and grenades, exploded ordnance and remains of weapons.

Speaking to Anadolu, Mohammad Meqdad, head of the explosive engineering division, said on Friday that since the start of the ceasefire on Sunday, the division "carried out 170 missions to identify and remove unexploded ordnance in residential areas of Rafah city" in the southern Gaza Strip.

He added that the division's teams at first locate the unexploded munitions in the homes and residential areas, carry out initial inspection, and then either safety dispose them on-site or remove them to be dismantled in safe areas far from residential areas.

Meqdad, however, noted the severe lack of proper equipment to deal with the munitions and explosive ordnance, including protective vests, helmets, equipment to lift heavy weights and to handle with the explosive ordnance.

On Wednesday, the Gaza-based Government Media Office warned people from the dangers of war remnants left by the Israeli army, noting that the hospitals across Gaza received several injured people from explosive ordnance.

The first six-week phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 111,500 since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

The three-phase agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, and its residents displaced, hungry, and prone to disease.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar