‘Worst humanitarian crisis I’ve seen’: Army explosives expert describes dire conditions in Gaza
A former British Army explosives expert has said that in his 30-year career, he has never seen a conflict zone with the level of destruction and humanitarian suffering that he has witnessed in Gaza.
Gary Toombs spent three weeks in the embattled enclave to locate unexploded bombs in Gaza, which has been struck by an estimated 45,000 explosive devices during the first 89 days of conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to the media office in Gaza.
The 51-year-old told The Independent that a ceasefire was vital for humanitarian reasons, but also to ensure that unexploded devices can be safely de-armed to ensure no further civilian deaths.
On his trip with colleague Simon Elmont, also an explosives expert, he said they already witnessed the severe injuries these unexplosive devices can inflict on children, who misunderstand the danger.
The duo work for the charity Humanity and Inclusion, which operates in conflict zones, and spent their weeks in the region logging unexploded bombs and mines and reporting their findings to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).
Mr Toombs says: “The situation remains incredibly complex and it’s fraught with challenges. In many of the areas we went to people are on the brink of famine. There is food available on the streets but it’s so expensive and unaffordable for the majority of residents.
“Fresh food is very difficult to come by so it’s canned and tinned food. The people that we spoke to have lost everything, they have resorted to making these makeshift camps and they are simply surviving amidst the trauma and the fear.
“I think it was quite evident they are extremely hungry, tired and scared. Law and order has disintegrated. There is what’s known as community vigilante groups, which are kind of keeping the peace.
“The existing police that were there have been targeted, so again they are not on the streets anymore so… communities have set up these security groups armed with machetes, knives and sticks and they are trying to protect the food convoys when they come over the Rafah crossing.
“And keep some form of law and order in the communities themselves.”
Mr Toombs began his career working as a bomb disposal expert for the British Army, before later working for humanitarian organisations as an explosives ordnance expert.
He has worked in some of the toughest conflict regions on the planet, with time spent in Syria, Bosnia, Iraq, Yemen and Ukraine, but said the situation in Gaza is the most severe he has witnessed.
“I’ve operated in Mosul, in Raqqa, but I have not seen a level of destruction and humanitarian need like I have in Gaza,” he says.
Explosive ordnances that have not blown up, such as large aircraft bombs or missiles, were a problem before Hamas’s attack at a music festival on 7 October, but are now significantly worse after Israel’s bombardment of Gaza since, says Mr Toombs.
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