ANKARA, April 27 — The extensive amount of rubble left by Israel’s devastating war in the Gaza Strip could take about 14 years to remove, a United Nations (UN) official said on Friday.
Pehr Lodhammar, an official with the United Nations Mine Action Service, told a briefing in Geneva that the war had left an estimated 37 million tonnes of debris in the densely populated territory, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
According to the media office in Gaza, Israeli attacks have destroyed as many as 70,000 houses and damaged 290,000 others, rendering them uninhabitable. The structures hit also include government buildings, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches and historical sites.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since October 7, killing more than 34,000 Palestinians.
The Israeli military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless, hungry, and at risk of disease.
In GENEVA, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday announced that it will rule Tuesday on a case accusing Germany of facilitating genocide in Israel’s months-long offensive on the Gaza Strip, as reported by AA.
“On Tuesday (April 30), the ICJ will deliver its order on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Nicaragua in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the court said in a statement.
According to the statement, a public sitting will take place at 3pm (1300GMT) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Nawaf Salam, the court’s head, will read out its ruling.
Nicaragua initiated proceedings against Germany at the world court accusing Berlin of facilitating genocide in Gaza by providing political and military support to Israel.
At a hearing earlier this month, Nicaragua requested the court issue emergency measures for Germany to stop its arms exports to Israel and reverse its decision to suspend funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
After the German delegation concluded its arguments, Salam ended the two-day hearing, and said the court would soon rule on Nicaragua’s request for emergency measures.
Germany remains one of the strongest supporters of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, despite growing public pressure. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly said Germany bears special responsibility for Israel because of its Nazi history.
— Bernama
