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Following the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, which is commemorated on April 4th, it is not only landmines that deserve our attention but more importantly, explosive remnants of war (ERW) – unexploded munitions that continue to kill long after combat ends. According to one study, ERW are often deadlier than anti-personnel mines, yet they receive far less attention (Pizzino et al. 2023). With thousands of civilians killed each year and entire livelihoods put at risk, the legacy of war continues long after the fighting ends.
This blog explores the role of ERW in driving displacement and devastation, with a particular focus on Gaza, where a lack of international accountability puts civilians at significant risk.
What Are Explosive Remnants of War and What Risks Do They Pose?
According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, ERW refers to any explosive ordnance that remains unexploded (UXO) and abandoned (AXO) after conflicts end (UNDRR, n.d.). This includes cluster munitions, artillery shells, grenades, mortar shells, rockets, missiles, and other explosive munitions, as well as some improvised explosive devices (IED’s).
The failure rate of ERW can vary from 1 or 2 percent to as high as 30 or 40 percent, depending on diverse factors (GICHD, n.d.). Those that fail to explode, can go off at unpredictable times or be set off by unknowing civilians, who are not aware of the danger they pose. This is particularly the case for children, who account for roughly half of all casualties from explosive remnants (ICBL-CMC, 2024). As ERW can resemble ordinary objects such as fans, toys or cans, children often mistake them as items to be played with, accidentally triggering them to detonate in their hands.
Explosive Remnants of War in International Law
Under international law, the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions is prohibited. Furthermore, Protocol V to the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (ratified by 99 state parties), requires parties to record and share information about explosive devices used in conflict and assist in post-conflict clearance.
However, despite the welcome of this Protocol, as highlighted by Human Rights Watch “it is replete with qualifiers and ambiguities, to the extent that its key provisions could be considered voluntary in nature” (Human Rights Watch, 2003). This, along with the fact that countries such as Israel are not party to this – or the previously mentioned conventions – means that the implementation of the law falls far below the standards intended.
The Case of Gaza: ERWs and Ongoing Genocide
With Israel refusing to abide by international law or even ratify most disarmament laws, Palestinians as well as other targeted countries are at risk both during and post-conflict, especially considering their use of munitions in densely populated areas. In Gaza for example, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has warned that between 5 to 10 percent of weapons fired into Gaza have failed to detonate (United Nations, 2025). Mohammad Al-Qadi, aged 10, is only one of the victims killed by remnants of Israeli army munitions in his hometown in Rafah during the ceasefire agreement (Anadolu Agency, 2025).
ERW are hidden under rubble, along roadsides or even inside homes, schools and hospitals, adding fuel to an already catastrophic situation. Even if humanitarian aid were allowed into Gaza – which it largely isn’t – aid workers face the added threat of navigating areas contaminated with unexploded ordnance. Unfortunately, the effective clearance of ERW is currently unlikely. Whereas the State of Palestine has signed and ratified Protocol V on ERW, Israel has not, reflecting an ongoing refusal to take accountability for their war crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people.
Environmental, Social and Economic Consequences
ERW live on far longer than conflicts – or genocides – persist. Over 45 years after the US-Vietnam war, for example, unexploded weapons are still buried beneath more than 80 percent of the land in Quảng Trị Province (Peace Trees Vietnam, n.d). This not only threatens the lives of civilians, but endangers livelihoods and contributes to environmental concerns.
Ali Salem, a father in Yemen who relies on subsistence-level farming, for example, said that “since we came back [from displacement], we couldn’t plant and we didn’t know where to walk and where to plant until the farm had been cleared” (Project Masam, 2022). The presence of ERW post-conflict prevents civilians from accessing land, water and even education, leading to increased poverty and unemployment rates.
Furthermore, both abandoned ordnance that fail to explode and those that are detonated either intentionally or accidentally can contaminate soil and water sources through chemical leakage. Over time they can further release various heavy metals into the surrounding soil, which in the case of agricultural land eventually leads into the food chain, posing a significant risk to people’s long-term health (GICHD, 2015).
Displacement and Fear of Return
Explosive remnants make it nearly impossible for displaced people to safely return or rebuild. In Gaza, for example, 60% of buildings are reported to be destroyed (Graham-Harrison, 2025). On top of this, approximately 41% of Gaza’s territory is agricultural land, 57% of which has suffered deterioration (Action Against Hunger, 2024). With the danger of ERW contaminating land and lying beneath the rubble, Palestinians are not only forcibly displaced from their homes but may also fear to return. 29-year-old Yousef Kassab for example, was killed by Israeli remnants when he returned home to central Rafah and stumbled upon a “strange object” (Abubaker, 2025).
A Call for Accountability
With states unwilling to sanction Israel for its actions, international law is currently failing. Worryingly, as Human Rights Watch (2025) recently warned, the Mine Ban Treaty itself is facing “daunting challenges” with countries attempting to withdraw. This is a concerning step in the wrong direction, leading many to lose faith in a crumbling system.
Israel has not ratified the Anti-personnel Mine Ban, the Arms Trade Treaty, the Cluster Munitions Ban, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention and almost every disarmament law that currently exists. Without holding countries accountable for their crimes, international law risks becoming null and void.
The global community must renew its commitment to upholding international law and holding all countries accountable, regardless of which treaties they have signed. The recovery of Gaza and other countries currently experiencing the effects of war, lies not just in clearing physical remnants but also the legal and political failures that allowed them to exist. ERW will impact Gaza in years to come. Whilst it will take years to clear these remnants, Gaza may not have years to wait for the international community to act. Israel must be held accountable now through international sanctions and the immediate imposition of a comprehensive military embargo.
References
Abed, Abubaker. 2025. “Explosive Remnants in Gaza Cause Dozens of Casualties.” Drop Site News, February 13, 2025. https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/unexploded-ordnance-gaza-munitions.
Action Against Hunger. “More than Half of Gaza’s Cropland Has Been Damaged by Conflict.” July 25, 2024. https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/more-than-half-of-gazas-cropland-has-been-damaged-by-conflict/.
Anadolu Agency. 2025. “Palestinian Child Killed in War Remnant Explosion in Southern Gaza.” https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/palestinian-child-killed-in-war-remnant-explosion-in-southern-gaza/3475230.
Graham-Harrison, Emma. 2025. “A Visual Guide to the Destruction of Gaza.” The Guardian, January 18, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/18/a-visual-guide-to-the-destruction-of-gaza.
Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). n.d. “Other Explosive Remnants of War.” Accessed April 6, 2025. https://www.gichd.org/explosive-ordnance/other-explosive-remnants-of-war/.
Human Rights Watch. 2003. “New International Law on Explosive Remnants of War.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2003/11/28/new-international-law-explosive-remnants-war.
Human Rights Watch. 2025. “Mine Ban Treaty Faces Significant Threats.” March 30, 2025. https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/03/30/mine-ban-treaty-faces-significant-threats.
International Campaign to Ban Landmines–Cluster Munition Coalition. 2024. The impact of mines/ERW on children: Reporting for the period 2019–2023. https://backend.icblcmc.org/assets/Resource-Hub/2024/Fact-Sheet-Impact-on-Children_Final.pdf
PeaceTrees Vietnam. n.d. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Accessed April 6, 2025. https://www.peacetreesvietnam.org/about/faq.html.
Pizzino S, Waller M, Tippett V, Durham J. Mortality from Landmines and Explosive Hazards: Findings from a Global Epidemiological Analysis. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. 2023;38(S1).
Project Masam. n.d. “Yemen Farming Communities Left Ravaged by Landmine Threat.” Accessed April 6, 2025. https://www.projectmasam.com/eng/yemen-farming-communities-left-ravaged-by-landmine-threat/.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). n.d. “Explosive Remnants of War.” Accessed April 6, 2025. https://www.undrr.org/understanding-disaster-risk/terminology/hips/so0004
United Nations News. 2025. ” Aid efforts in Gaza escalate, as risk from deadly unexploded ordnance grows.” UN News, January 29, 2025. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1159571.
