There is between 65 and 70 million tonnes of rubble and debris in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports citing Gaza’s government media office.

“This rubble includes thousands of homes, facilities, and vital infrastructures deliberately destroyed by the [Israeli] occupation forces, turning the [Gaza] Strip into an environmentally and structurally devastated area and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid and relief efforts,” the office said in a statement.

“The process of removing this massive rubble faces severe obstacles, most notably the lack of heavy equipment and machinery due to the Israeli occupation’s ban on their entry, the complete closure of border crossings, and the deliberate prevention of bringing in the materials and machinery necessary to recover the bodies of victims,” it added.

The office urged Israel to open the crossings and begin the removal process.

“Preliminary estimates also indicate the presence of about 20,000 unexploded ordnances, including bombs and missiles dropped by the Israeli army, posing a grave threat to the lives of civilians and field workers. These remnants require specialised engineering and security handling before any removal or reconstruction work can begin,” the office also said.