Children in Gaza playing among '5,000 unexploded bombs' warns British expert

AN ex-Army specialist sent to Gaza to help locate unexploded bombs has called for an immediate ceasefire, saying children are playing among 5,000 devices left in the ruins.

- Giles Sheldrick

Explosives expert Simon Elmont says hundreds of the weapons weigh up to 2,000lb - he discovered a 1,000lb bomb in a garden inside the war-torn enclave last week.

Simon, 55, spent three weeks there to mark ordnance and report sites to the UN Mine Action Service for it to act. He worked with ex-Army colleague Gary Toombs but they were unable to defuse bombs without the right gear - and a ceasefire.

Simon said: "People are moving around frequently and our biggest fear is when they return to their homes, which are damaged or destroyed, they will try and enter to reclaim their possessions. That's when injuries will increase...this is when the risk is greatest.

"We use a loose failure rate for modern weapons of 10% of weapons fired do not function. If around 50,000 items of ordnance have been dropped we'd assume 5,000 left.