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Abstract
The reported request by the United States to the Lebanese Government to “return back” (Etsion, 2025) the unexploded munition used by Israel during its attack on Beirut, triggered a plethora of mockery, angry and cynical comments in the social media across the region. It also unleashed curiosity and raised questions on several issues including the global military industrial competition, sources of armes used by Israel in its wars, the major challenges and risks of unexploded ordinances in Lebanon but specially in Gaza. This article tries to use the incidence to draw attention towards the catastrophic consequences of explosive and non-explosive pollution, starting with and passing through conditions in Lebanon to mainly focus on Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

Lebanon The exploded ordnances

Between October 1, and 27 November 2024, Israel invaded Southern Lebanon -for the sixth time-South. Israel invasion inflicted widespread destruction of civilian and military targets in Beirut, Bekaa Valley and Southern Lebanon. Since the beginning of the US-brokered “ceasefire” agreement, Israel conducted nearly 700 airstrikes on Lebanon, including attacks on Beirut, killing over 339 people and injuring 978. It continues to occupy five positions inside south Lebanon and conduct controlled infrastructure demolitions.

The non exploded ordnance (UXO)
A high-tech secret

Besides the one sided “ouverte” Israeli violation of the “Ceasefire”, Israel carries on special operations relying on its intelligence and advanced aerial surveillance services. On 23 November 2025, the Israeli Airforce, targeting a Hezbollah chief of staff, has stroked Haret Hraik in Southern Beirut, killing five persons and wounding 28 others. According to Hizbollah near sources, one of the munitions used failed to detonate and was recovered intact. The unexploded rocket proved to be the smart glide munition, model GBU-39B. Reportedly, the United States asked the Government of Lebanon to return the unexploded bomb which carries exceptionally powerful warhead and guidance systems and sophisticated technology, unknown outside the US This raised US concerns of the possibility of technology reaching Russia, China and Iran who could make use of these technologies through reversed and re-engineering as they did in Syria , Ukraine and other countries or using these technologies to accelerate the development of next generation of glide bombs, drones and missiles.

UXO explosive contamination

The discussion around unexploded GPU 39 B devise also drew attention to the problem of the multi-decade explosives -contamination of agricultural, urban and semi urban areas, especially in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley following wars in Lebanon, including the 1975-1990 civil war, the Israeli invasions 1978, 1982, 2006 and 2023-2024 which also lead to the contamination of 280 million square metres ie 10 square miles)of mine contaminated areas and about 199 million square metres (77 square miles) of former battle area contaminated by UXO. The all-time UXO casualties during the period of 1975-2024 is 3,897 persons (Landmine and cluster ammunition cluster 2023).Under the “ceasefire agreement” Israel aerial raids continued (Webber 2024), therefor hampering demining efforts by UNIFIL, Lebanese Army and NGOs to demine and clean the vast contaminated areas
Gaza
A Tsunami of exploded ordnances (October 2023-Octoebr 2025)
The almost complete destruction of Gaza by the Israeli Army represents a “novum” in recent human history (Webber 2024) Comparisons were made by several authors with the destruction/bombardment of Dresden, Hamburg and Cologne and the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US and allied forces at the end of WW2 (Youvan, 2024). Between October 2023 and October 2025, Israel conducted a massive aerial, naval and terrestrial war dropping over 100,000 tons of explosives (Williams 2025), which amounts to over 41,000 kgs of explosives per capita and 3 kg/square meter, killing and wounding over 11% of Gaza’s population, mainly civilians and destroying most of the Gaza’s building and socio-economic systems. Even after the US mediated “ceasefire” effective 10th October 2025, Israel continued killing and destruction on a lower scale. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported over 70,000 Palestinians killed and over 170,000 wounded, while the number of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire began on October 11 has rose to 376, while the total number of wounded reached 981(Jourdan News Agency, December 2025). Killing, bombing and destruction continued in the West Bank as well.

Despite being the eighth biggest weapon exporter worldwide (SIPIRI,2025), Israel is also one of the biggest importers of weapons from the global west, mainly delivered by the US, Germany and the UK (Gitten 2024). Israel and its collaborators profit from the genocidal war on Gaza (the United Nations 2025). It has been using OPT as testing laboratory (Loewenstein, A. 2023) for its advanced military industry, especially in the field of AI, surveillance and elimination of “suspects” .

While most countries of the global West continues to express occasional concerns about the resulting catastrophic conditions, their political, financial, intelligence and military support continued. These governments use the tactic of condemnation of a single element of the ongoing genocide (United Nations n. d) at a time, while denying the totality of these crimes that compose the Genocide. This enables these countries to join Israel’s denial of the Genocide.

Accompanied and justified by the US, Israel continues to claim the validity and continuation of “ceasefire” after each attack, which are occurring nearly daily. In addition to the complete siege of Gaza, only a small percentage of the agreed upon minimal humanitarian aid is allowed to enter the besieged strip. Gaza’s population continue to suffer from lack of shelter, drinking water and sufficient affordable food. The Integrated Dood Security Phase Classification (IPC-2025)) labels the food situation in October-November 2025 in Gaza as critical, despite the end of famine (IPC 2025) The Israeli Army continues to destroy houses and buildings in the area it controls, killing people almost every day near to the “Yello Line” and beyond. Apart from carpet bombing, all elements of genocide in Gaza are still in place.

The non-exploded ordinances and rubbles in Gaza

The question of unexploded ordnances in Gaza could not be exactly evaluated because, as opposed to Lebanon, Israel continues to completely besiege Gaza. The Gaza Centre for Human Rights estimates that around 20,000 unexploded bombs and missiles remain scattered across Gaza. It said that by mid-October 2025 , the total rubble resulting from the destruction of homes and vital infrastructure had reached between 65 and 70 million tons, also containing thousands of tons of explosives and remnants of war (MEM October 2025).The United Nations Mine Action Service estimates that between 5% and 10% of Israeli weapons fired into Gaza in the past two years have failed to detonate, leaving behind unexploded ordnance that has killed at least 328 people — 24 since the current ceasefire began on Oct. 10. Some Israeli media suggested that the percentage of unexploded Israeli ordnance in Gaza has surged, reaching as high as 20% of the total munitions dropped during certain phases of the war (MEM, May 2025) It is estimated that he clearance of these explosives will take 20 to 30 years and will be a problem for several generations.

Israel’s UXO paradox.

Besides daily lower scale killing and peripheral bombing and injury and death due to exploded and unexploded ordnances and remnants of war, the tight blockade and “squeezing “of Gaza population by IDF in less than 48% of the tiny Gaza Strip , the world’s most crowded area behind the so called “Yello Line” are the main Israeli pressure tools on Hamas and on the population of Gaza. Out of President Trump “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” the so called “ceasefire” described above, the partial withdrawal to the Yellow Line and the release of hostages/prisoners were implemented. The next stages that include the further withdrawal of the IDF, the progressively hand over security to an International Stabilization Force (ISF); and the establishment of an interim technocratic government in Gaza under the oversight of a Board of Peace (BoP), chaired by President Trump, till 2029 , are still hovering. On November, 17, 2025 UN-Security Council adopted resolution 2803., providing an international legal cover for President Trump Peace Plan for Gaza.

Meanwhile, the catastrophic living conditions in the besieged destroyed Gaza strip (housing/shelter, food, water and sanitation, health education, economy, and security) of Gaza’s 2,4 million population continue, daily claiming unknown, yet high number of non-violent mortalities (Khatib et al, 2024).

Israel restriction of international media aims at preventing a second global upheaval against Israel’s genocidal war. Pictures of destruction, dead bodies and the pain of their families during body retrieval and burial will flood traditional and social media triggering an international war of images that may increase the ongoing pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel resentments.

Between March and July 2024, Israeli authorities rejected requests to import more than 20 types of demining equipment, representing a total of over 2,000 items, from binoculars to armoured vehicles to firing cables for detonations (Farage 2025).
While preventing-delaying demining and removal of UXO, remnants of war and millions of tons of rubbles act inter-alia as a tool of pressure against Hamas and population of Gaza, some investigations by the Israeli military revealed that many of the large explosions that damaged or destroyed Israeli armoured vehicles were caused by unexploded Israeli bombs that were recycled by Hamas (Amit et al, 2025).

Conclusions

Without demining and removal of unexploded ordnance and remnants of war, no reconstruction/rehabilitation and recovery is possible. While demining is constrained by lack of funding and insecurity in Lebanon, Israel has restricted and continues to restrict the entry of hundreds of heavy equipment essential for rubble removal and to deal with unexploded ordinances and remnants of war in Gaza (Palestine Chronicle , February 2025):, Removing the rubbles is also essential to retrieve bodies of thousands missing Palestinians, buried under the ruins of their houses. All these measures are sending message to the Palestinian living in major humanitarian crisis that Gaza and OPT at large are not liveable. This is the essence of ethnic cleansing (“voluntary departure”), a declared Israeli target
The GBU-39B incident in Beirut also raises questions whether some similar unique/high value devices remined unexploded in and under the rubbles of Gaza.
The retrieval of unexploded UXO and remnants of exploded ammunition may uncover companies and countries complicit in Israel Genocidal war in Gaza, and may reveal new technologies and/or non-traditional partners and may provide a material base for further inquiries, research and awareness. It may also be important for future accountability and possible compensations

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