Unabashedly brutal “Grand Theft Auto V” hit the streets Tuesday in a sequel that promises to enthrall fans of the blockbuster video game franchise.
Rockstar Games spent five years crafting the title and the time has paid off for gamers, according to a slew of reviews giving it top marks.
“GTA V has been worth the five-year wait,” said computerandvideogames.com digital manager John Houlihan.
“You can really see the maturity in this version, the graphics look sensational — it really is like being in a virtual copy of LA.” GTA V is set in a fictional city of Los Santos based on real-world Los Angeles and its nearby hills and beaches.
The videogame franchise has won legions of fans and cadres of critics with game play in which triumph depends on acts such as carjacking, gambling and killing.
“GTA is essentially the ‘Sopranos’ of videogames,” Tech Savvy analyst Scott Steinberg said, making a reference to a hugely popular US cable television series centered on Mafia characters.
“Everyone talks about the series as violent, but compared to what you are seeing in the movies and on television GTA is relatively tame. Certainly, it is a mature game for mature audiences .” GTA V is billed by the New York City-based video game publisher as the “largest and most ambitious” title in a franchise that has sold more than 114 million copies since its debut in 1997.
“Grand Theft Auto V builds on everything we’ve learned about open world gaming,” said Rockstar founder Sam Houser.
Versions of “GTA V” for play on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 video game consoles or personal computers powered by Windows software launched worldwide Tuesday in respective time zones.
Midnight release events were planned at shops in an array of countries to let GTA lovers snap up the game the instant Tuesday arrives.
EB Games held a midnight launch party in Sydney’s World Square, featuring DJs and free burritos.
Torrential rain put a dampener on the night but didn’t stop GTA zealots.
“If a storm stops you from getting your hands on gta you ain’t a die-hard fan,” Ryan Nero said in a message fired off at Twitter.
“I just rode through a hardcore thunderstorm to get my copy.” GTA V was released in 320 stores across the country Australia.
“There has been a huge buzz about the game,” Rashaan Walker said as the clock ticked down on a midnight launch event at the San Francisco area Best Buy shop where he is a sales supervisor.
“We’ve had tons of people asking about it.” Walker, a 26-year-old GTA fan, had in mind to stick around after the end of his shift to pick up a copy of the game.
“It’s exciting,” Walker said. “In this one you can go online and bring together a clique of friends and go terrorizing and do whatever you want.” He was also keen to see how the overarching storyline of the series progresses. In a new approach used in GTA 5, gamers take on the roles of three different main characters whose paths eventually merge.
“This really is a blockbuster that almost dwarfs the movies in some way,” Houlihan said. “GTA V is really a cultural phenomenon.” Houlihan said it was rumored that the production budget for the game was in the vicinity of $270 million.
The franchise’s appeal is fueled by captivating story lines and an open-world format that lets players go wherever they wish in game worlds.
“You can rob banks or you can do a yoga lesson or you can fly a plane or you can play tennis or you can do what I sometimes do, which is just wander round the world in a really flashy car and listen to some of the hilarious radio stations — so there really is everything for you to explore, it’s a world of possibility,” Houlihan said.
The game will also let people play with or against one another online.
Rockstar, which is owned by Take-Two Interactive, said that GTA V “focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar” in a re-imagined Southern California.
Grand Theft Auto IV blew away video game and Hollywood records by raking in an unprecedented $500 million in the week after its release in 2008.
“GTA is the 10-ton gorilla of video game franchises,” Steinberg said. “Obviously, this is going to help kick-start the holiday season for the videogame industry, which has taken a beating.” While console video games have faced mounting pressure from free-to-play titles tailored for smartphones or tablets, there is “still room for blockbuster Hollywood-style games,” according to the analyst.
’Grand Theft Auto V’ hits streets in brash debut
’Grand Theft Auto V’ hits streets in brash debut
Heat scorch Bulls to advance, Mavericks upset Kings
- Miami point guard Herro led from the front in a wire-to-wire victory that eliminated Chicago and sends the Heat into a winner-take-all clash against Atlanta Hawks on Friday
- Dallas will now play the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday with the winner advancing to a first-round playoff series against top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder
LOS ANGELES: Tyler Herro scored 38 points as the Miami Heat cruised past the Chicago Bulls 109-90 to keep their NBA playoff hopes alive on Wednesday.
Miami point guard Herro led from the front in a wire-to-wire victory that eliminated Chicago from postseason contention and sends the Heat into a winner-take-all clash against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
The winner of Friday’s Miami-Atlanta game will advance to the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, where they will face No.1 seed Cleveland.
“We just came out in attack mode,” Herro told ESPN after Wednesday’s win.
“We had a couple of days off since the last game — myself, my teammates and the coaching staff put in a lot of work and it paid off.
“We’ve got one more to go. The job is not done yet, just to get in the playoffs. So we’ve got a long way to go.
“We have a bunch of guys who come in every day, put their hard hats on and they work. The season hasn’t exactly gone how we wanted it to, but we continue to get better. There’s a lot to look forward to.”
Herro was backed by 20 points from Andrew Wiggins, while Bam Adebayo and Davion Mitchell scored 15 points apiece.
Australian international Josh Giddey led Chicago’s scorers with 25 points.
Wednesday’s win marked the third season in a row that Chicago have been eliminated from the play-in tournament by Miami.
Miami, who finished 10th in the Eastern Conference regular season standings, were always in control after making a fast start against a surprisingly lackluster Chicago line-up.
Herro did most of the early damage, scoring from his first eight attempts to pour in 16 points in a 39-28 first quarter that left Miami in control at Chicago’s United Center.
A dominant second quarter — Miami outscoring Chicago 32-19 — left the Heat leading 71-47 with the Bulls seemingly powerless to halt the flow of Heat scoring.
Although Chicago rallied in the third quarter, outscoring Miami 27-17, it was too little too late and the Heat closed out a comfortable win in the fourth.
In Wednesday’s other play-in game, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson combined for 50 points as the Dallas Mavericks brought the Sacramento Kings’ season to a juddering halt with a 120-106 blowout on the road in California.
The Mavericks, who scraped into the play-in tournament after finishing in 10th place in the West, seized control of the game in an explosive second quarter, outscoring Sacramento 44-19 to build a hefty double-digit advantage which they held for the remainder of the game.
Former Golden State star Thompson rattled in 23 points while Davis, who joined Dallas in February from the Los Angeles Lakers following his former team’s trade for Luka Doncic, finished with 27 points and nine rebounds.
“We’re so desperate to keep the postseason alive,” Thompson said afterwards.
“It’s a privilege to play basketball at this time of year. I told the guys before the game ‘We have nothing to lose. Go out there with a free swing, play for each other and play free-minded.’ Because that’s when we’re at our best.”
Dallas will now play the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday with the winner advancing to a first-round playoff series against top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Recipes for success: Chef Ilias Doulamis offers advice and a tasty seafood recipe
DUBAI: Greek chef Ilias Doulamis is well-travelled and no stranger to the Gulf. Before taking on his current role, he worked at the Rosewood Al-Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh, the Grand Hyatt Muscat, and the Grand Hyatt Doha, among others — as well as restaurants in Paris and London. Now, he is the culinary director of the Conrad Abu Dhabi, and Hilton’s regional chef for the Arabian Peninsula.
Here, Doulamis discusses the charms of citrus fruits, the importance of collaboration, and attention to detail.
When you started out what was the most common mistake you made?
Trying to do too much on my own. Early on, I thought asking for help was a sign of weakness. But since then I’ve learned that great kitchens run on collaboration and trust.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Focus on mastering the basics skills. They are the foundation of everything in the kitchen.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Citrus! It instantly elevates a dish by adding brightness, balance, and depth. From orange, mandarin, lemon and lime right through to the most exotic sudashi, yuzu and pomelo, citrus is a magic ingredient.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
I do, but I do it out of curiosity and passion — not judgment. And it’s not just the food. I notice everything: flavors, technique, the service, the ambiance, even the body language of the staff. All of these things are part of the experience of dining out.
What’s the most common issue that you find in other restaurants?
I’d say it’s lack of attention to detail — whether that’s the seasoning, the temperature, or the plating. Consistency is key to delivering a good experience, and it’s often the first thing to slip under pressure.
What’s your favorite cuisine?
I am from Kalamata and my favorite cuisine is Greek — hands down. It’s simple, honest food with bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and a deep connection to tradition. It’s really hard not to love!
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
A frittata. It’s quick, versatile, and always satisfying. You can toss in whatever’s in your fridge, and it’s still going to feel like a proper meal.
What customer request or behavior most annoys you?
Honestly, no request really annoys me. Guests have different tastes and needs, and part of our job is to make them feel welcome. It’s all part of the experience.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
It’s tough to pick a favorite. I just really love cooking anything that lets me be creative and connect with people through food. That being said, I’m very lucky because my wife is an excellent cook too, so our kitchen is always full of inspiration and great meals.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
Some dishes are deceptively simple and incredibly hard to perfect. I’m thinking of things like a classic omelet, a risotto, or even fresh pasta. Simplicity really tests your skill. When there’s nowhere to hide, that when cooking can be at its most challenging. Your precision, timing, and technique have to be spot-on, and even the smallest misstep can throw everything off.
As a team leader, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
I’d say I’m firm but fair. Obviously, I believe in discipline and high standards, but I also believe in empowerment, mentorship, and leading by example. The best results always come from motivated team members who feel that they are respected and valued.
Chef Ilias’ Greek-style citrus and olive oil marinated sea bass with fresh sea urchin
Ingredients:
Fresh amberjack fillet, thinly sliced (sashimi-style)
Fresh sea urchin (uni)
Kalamata Extra virgin olive oil (high quality, fruity)
Lemon and orange juice (freshly squeezed)
Lemon zest
Sea salt (preferably flaky)
Fresh dill and chives (finely chopped)
Cracked black pepper
Instructions:
Marinate the Fish:
Arrange the sliced amberjack on a chilled plate. Drizzle with a blend of lemon and orange juice, just enough to coat. Add a few drops of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, and a sprinkle of herbs. Let it marinate for 5–7 minutes.
Top with Uni:
Gently place fresh sea urchin lobes on top of the marinated fish.
Finish & Serve:
Grate a bit of lemon zest over the top, add a touch more olive oil, and finish with cracked pepper and a few micro herbs
Vatican’s solemn run-up to Easter opens with recovering Pope Francis improving but on the sidelines
- Pontiff, who survived a life-threatening bout of double pneumonia this winter, is expected to make some appearances
- By all indications he is continuing to improve after his hospital stay and is slowly resuming some of his normal activities
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican on Thursday opened the most solemn period of Holy Week with a recovering Pope Francis largely on the sidelines, as cardinals were designated to take his place presiding over the most important liturgical services leading up to Easter.
The 88-year-old Francis, who survived a life-threatening bout of double pneumonia this winter, is expected to make some appearances, however. He made a surprise cameo at the end of Palm Sunday Mass last weekend and in recent days has made some unannounced visits – including one in which he wasn’t dressed in his papal white cassock – to pray in St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Mary Major basilica across town.
By all indications he is continuing to improve after his five-week hospital stay and is slowly resuming some of his normal activities. In recent outings, he has been seen without the nasal tubes that provide supplemental oxygen and Vatican officials say he is increasingly less reliant on the therapy.
On Wednesday, Francis held his first formal group audience since returning to the Vatican on March 23, meeting with the medical staff of the Gemelli hospital who cared for him during his 38-day stay. Gathered in a Vatican audience hall, Francis thanked the 70-plus doctors, nurses and administrators and asked them for their continued prayers.
“Thank you for everything you did,” Francis said, his voice still labored but seemingly stronger as he continues respiratory and physical therapy.
He gave special thanks to the rector of Gemelli’s affiliated Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Elena Beccalli, whom he praised for her strong leadership. “When women command, things go well,” he said in his longest public remarks since his hospitalization.
Francis has delegated the demanding Holy Week liturgical celebrations to hand-picked cardinals, but the Vatican says the pope himself composed the meditations that will be read aloud by others during the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession on Friday night at Rome’s Colosseum.
The Holy Thursday Mass, for example, during which the oils used in liturgical rituals throughout the year are blessed, was being celebrated by the retired head of the Vatican’s patrimony office, Cardinal Domenico Calcagno. Friday’s solemn commemoration of the crucifixion of Christ was assigned to Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, who heads the Vatican office in charge of eastern rite Catholics. Easter Sunday was assigned to the retired administrator of St. Peter’s, Cardinal Angelo Comastri.
It remains to be seen how Francis will handle Easter Sunday’s traditional “Urbi et Orbi” speech and blessing (Latin for “to the city and the world”). Normally the pope delivers a sometimes lengthy discourse on the state of the world from the loggia of St. Peter’s, and then imparts a special blessing to the faithful in the piazza below. In theory someone else could read the speech while Francis could impart the blessing.
Francis was admitted to Gemelli on Feb. 14 with bronchitis that quickly developed into a life-threatening case of double pneumonia. Upon his release March 23, doctors proscribed two months of convalescence at the Vatican with daily respiratory and physical therapy to improve his breathing and vocal function. With time, they have predicted he will be able to resume his normal activities.
Operation Assad: the air mission to smuggle the Syrian despot’s valuables
- Ousted Syrian ruler used private jet to move cash, valuables, and documents to Abu Dhabi, sources say
- Plane made four flights in last days of Assad’s regime, the last one from Russian base
DUBAI: As his enemies closed in on Damascus, Bashar Assad, who ruled over Syria with an iron fist for 24 years, used a private jet to spirit away cash, valuables and confidential documents mapping the corporate web behind his wealth.
Yasar Ibrahim, the president’s top economic adviser, arranged the leasing of the plane to transport Assad’s treasured assets, relatives, aides and presidential palace personnel to the United Arab Emirates aboard four flights, according to an account of the operation pieced together by Reuters from more than a dozen sources.
Ibrahim, who ran the economic and financial office of the presidency, was instrumental in creating a network of entities Assad used to control swathes of Syria’s economy, often acting as a front for the former ruler, according to US sanctions notices, as well as experts on Syria’s economy and one source inside Assad’s business network. Western nations imposed sanctions on Assad following his repression of 2011 pro-democracy protests and later on Ibrahim for assisting the regime.
The Embraer Legacy 600 jet made the four back-to-back trips to Syria in the 48 hours before the regime’s fall, according to a Reuters review of flight tracking records. The plane, which has the tail number C5-SKY, is registered in Gambia. The fourth flight departed on December 8 from the Russian-operated Hmeimim military air base, near Latakia, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, according to flight tracking records, a satellite image and a former Air Force Intelligence source with direct knowledge of the operation. Assad fled to Russia on the same day from the same base.
The operation to extract Assad’s assets from Syria has not been previously reported. Reuters spoke to 14 Syrian sources with knowledge of the scheme, including airport staff, former intelligence and Presidential Guard officers and a person within Assad’s business network.
The news agency also reviewed a WhatsApp conversation between Ibrahim’s associates, flight tracking data, satellite images, and corporate and aviation ownership registers on three continents to assemble its account of how Assad’s closest confidant orchestrated safe passage for the plane.
The jet carried unmarked black bags of cash holding at least $500,000 as well as documents, laptops and hard drives with key intelligence about “The Group,” the codename Assad and Ibrahim’s associates used for the intricate network of entities spanning telecoms, banking, real estate, energy and other activities, according to the individual inside Assad’s network, a former Air Force Intelligence officer and the WhatsApp conversation. Assad, whose whereabouts was kept secret from even close family members in the last frantic days of his regime, has been granted political asylum in Russia. Reuters was unable to reach him or Ibrahim for comment. The foreign ministries of Russia and the UAE didn’t respond to questions about the operation.
The government of new president Ahmed Al-Sharaa is determined to recover public funds taken abroad in the run up to Assad’s fall, a senior official told Reuters, to support Syria’s economy as it labors under sanctions and a currency shortage.
The official confirmed to Reuters that money was smuggled out of the country before the former ruler’s ouster, but did not elaborate how, adding that authorities were still determining where the money went.
Reuters could not independently determine whether Assad actively directed the escape operation. Several sources with direct knowledge of the mission said it could not have happened without the ruler’s blessing.
’YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS PLANE’
On December 6, as rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham marched toward the capital, the 13-seater Embraer jet approached Damascus International Airport.
More than a dozen staff in the camouflage uniforms of Syria’s Air Force Intelligence — a main instrument of political repression under Assad — mobilized to guard the Hall of Ceremonies, the airport’s VIP section, and its access route, according to six sources with knowledge of the operation. Four of these sources said they were at the scene.
A handful of civilian cars with tinted windows approached the area, three of the people on site said. The cars belonged to the elite Republican Guard, tasked to protect Assad and the Presidential Palace, said two of the people on site — the former intelligence officer and a senior airport official.
The involvement of the Republican Guard meant that “Bashar (Assad) gave the orders” relating to the operation, according to a former senior Republican Guard member. The guard answered only to its commander, Assad’s cousin General Talal Makhlouf, or Assad himself, this person added.
The head of airport security, Brig.-General Ghadeer Ali, told airport staff that Air Force Intelligence personnel would handle the aircraft, according to Mohammed Qairout, head of ground operations with Syrian Air.
“This plane is coming to land and we will deal with it,” Qairout recalled being told by Ali. “You have not seen this plane.”
Ali, a senior Air Force Intelligence officer, took orders directly from the Presidential Palace, three Syrian airport officials and the former intelligence officer said.
Reuters could not reach Ali for comment.
FINAL HOURS The C5-SKY plane flew each time to Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport, used by dignitaries and known for its strict privacy, Flightradar24 data show. At first, the jet left Dubai on Dec. 6 and landed in Damascus around noon local time (0900 GMT). It then flew to Al Bateen airport and was back in Damascus just after 10 p.m.
Each time it landed, “cars rushed toward the plane, staying for a short time and then leaving just before the plane took off again,” said one of five sources working at the airport.
Ali told Air Force Intelligence staff that Presidential Palace personnel and relatives of Assad — including teenagers — were due to board the first two flights that left Damascus on December 6, which also carried cash, according to the former intelligence officer at the scene.
Reuters could not access a manifest for the four flights to confirm the plane’s passengers or cargo.
The second flight from Damascus also transported paintings and some small sculptures, said the same source.
On Dec. 7, the jet was back in Damascus around 4 p.m. and left for Al Bateen for a third time over an hour later, this time loaded with bags of cash as well as hard drives and electronic devices containing information about Assad’s corporate network, according to the intelligence officer and the source inside Assad’s business network.
The stored information included financial records, minutes of meetings, ownership of companies, real estate and partnerships, as well as details of cash transfers and offshore companies and accounts, this source said.
This time, vehicles belonging to the UAE embassy in Damascus approached the VIP airport area before the jet took off, said the former intelligence officer, which he said suggested the UAE was aware of the operation.
DETOUR TO RUSSIAN BASE
Early on December 8, rebel fighters reached Damascus, prompting Assad to flee for his coastal stronghold of Latakia, in coordination with Russian forces. Damascus airport stopped operating.
Shortly after midnight that day, the C5-SKY jet left Al Bateen one last time. After passing over the city of Homs, north of Damascus, at around 3 a.m. local time, the plane dropped off flight tracking coverage for about six hours before reappearing over Homs, headed back to Abu Dhabi, data from Flightradar24 show.
During that window, it landed at the Hmeimim base in the Latakia province, according to the former intelligence officer.
A satellite image taken at 9:11 a.m. by Planet Labs captured the plane on the runway at Hmeimim. Reuters was able to confirm the Embraer jet in the image was C5-SKY based on the size and shape and flight tracking data. The jet was the only private plane flying in and out of Syria between December 6 and December 8, flight tracking data show.
Aboard the flight from Hmeimim was Ahmed Khalil Khalil, a close associate of Ibrahim active inside Assad’s network, according to the Air Force Intelligence officer, the source inside Assad’s business empire and the WhatsApp conversation. Khalil is under Western sanctions for supporting the former regime by operating and controlling several businesses in Syria.
He had reached the Russian base in an Emirati embassy armored car and was carrying $500,000 in cash, according to the person inside Assad’s network and the WhatsApp messages.
Khalil had withdrawn the money two days earlier from an account with the Syria International Islamic Bank (SIIB), according to the same sources.
The person inside Assad’s circle said the account belongs to Damascus-based Al-Burj Investments. The company is 50 percent owned by Ibrahim, according to The Syria Report, an online platform that contains a corporate database compiled by Syria experts which cited 2018 official Syrian records.
Khalil did not respond to a request for comment sent via his Facebook account. SIIB and Al-Burj did not respond to emails seeking comment.
The individual inside Assad’s business circle and a former official at Syria’s Air Transport Authority said the Embraer jet was operating under a ‘dry lease’, in which the owner provides the aircraft, but no crew, pilot, maintenance, ground operations or insurance.
Reuters couldn’t determine who operated the flights.
Ibrahim reached Abu Dhabi on Dec. 11, this person added.
Asked about the plane in an interview with Reuters, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa declined to comment.
’THE LEBANESE PLANE’
Ibrahim leased the jet from Lebanese businessman Mohamad Wehbe, according to a member of Syria’s business elite and the source inside Assad’s network. In the WhatsApp conversation the jet was described by one of Ibrahim’s associates as “the Lebanese plane.”
In April 2024, Mohamad Wehbe posted pictures of C5-SKY on LinkedIn with the caption, “welcome.” In January, the businessman wrote in a separate LinkedIn post that the aircraft was for sale. The plane was registered in Gambia to a local company, Flying Airline Company, from April 2024. Flight tracking records show that, in the months preceding Assad’s fall, the aircraft had flown to Assad’s ally Russia, currently under Western aviation sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine. Reuters was unable to reach the registered contact for Flying Airline Company in Gambia, Sheikh Tijan Jallow.
Flying Airline Co. is 30 percent-owned by another Lebanese national, Oussama Wehbe, and 70 percent-owned by Iraqi national Safa Ahmed Saleh, as per Gambian records.
Social media show Mohamad Wehbe has a son named Oussama who also works in the aviation industry. Reuters could not confirm if he is the same man on the Gambian registry.
Contacted by Reuters, Mohamad Wehbe denied any involvement with the C5-SKY flights in and out of Syria and told Reuters he does not own the plane but merely rents it “sometimes” from a broker, whose name he declined to provide. He did not respond to questions about whether his son was involved.
Oussama Wehbe did not reply to a request for comment. Reuters could not locate Safa Ahmed Saleh.
The unexploded bombs of Gaza
- Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, at least 23 people have been killed and 162 injured by discarded or unexploded ordnance
- International efforts to help clear the bombs during any lulls in the fighting have been hampered by Israel
KHAN YOUNIS: The Gaza Strip is strewn with undetonated explosives from tens of thousands of Israeli air strikes, leaving the territory “uninhabitable,” according to the US government.
In February, US President Donald Trump suggested the United States take over Gaza and take responsibility for clearing unexploded bombs and other weapons, to create the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The challenge to clear the lethal remnants, examined here in detail for the first time, is huge.
Israel’s bombardments resumed in March after a January ceasefire fell apart — an offensive that the United Nations said has captured or depopulated two-thirds of the enclave. More bombs fall daily.
By October 2024, Israel’s military said, it had carried out over 40,000 air strikes on the Strip. The UN Mine Action Service estimates that between one in 10 and one in 20 bombs fired into Gaza did not go off.
Those weapons are among more than 50 million tons of rubble which according to the UN Environment Programme are scattered across Gaza, a densely populated area far smaller than the State of Rhode Island.
"Inhumane"
Gaza’s own cleanup efforts started quickly. Near the city of Khan Younis a week after the January ceasefire, bulldozer driver Alaa Abu Jmeiza was clearing a street close to where 15-year old Saeed Abdel Ghafour was playing. The bulldozer blade struck a concealed bomb.
“We were engulfed in the heat of the flames, the fire,” the boy told Reuters. He said he had lost sight in one eye. Driver Jmeiza also lost sight in one eye and has burn and shrapnel injuries on his hands and legs.
Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, at least 23 people have been killed and 162 injured by discarded or unexploded ordnance, according to a database compiled by a forum of UN agencies and NGOs working in Gaza — an estimate that aid workers say must be a fraction of the total, since few victims know how to report what has happened to them.
Hamas has said it harvested some unexploded ordnance for use against Israel, but also is ready to cooperate with international bodies to remove it.
However, international efforts to help clear the bombs during any lulls in the fighting have been hampered by Israel, which restricts imports into the enclave of goods that can have a military use, nine aid officials told Reuters.
Between March and July last year, Israeli authorities rejected requests to import more than 20 types of demining equipment, representing a total of over 2,000 items — from binoculars to armored vehicles to firing cables for detonations — according to a document compiled by two humanitarian demining organizations seen by Reuters.
“Due to the restrictions by the Israeli authorities on mine action organizations to allow the entry of necessary equipment, the clearance process has not started,” UN human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told Reuters.
This poses “serious unnecessary challenges” to humanitarians involved, he added.
Under the 1907 Hague Convention, Israel has an obligation as an occupying power to remove or help remove war remnants that endanger the lives of civilians, said the UN human rights office and the International Committee of the Red Cross. This is an obligation that Israel accepts as binding under customary international law even though it is not a signatory, said Cordula Droege, the ICRC’s chief legal officer.
Israel’s military declined to answer questions about what munitions it has used in Gaza for security reasons, and did not respond to a request for comment on the extent of leftover ordnance. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that oversees shipments into Gaza, did not respond to requests for comment on its role in cleanup efforts. Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said most of the explosives have been scattered by Hamas, without providing evidence.
A Hamas official declined to answer a question about how many weapons it has used in Gaza or how much remains as unexploded ordnance.
“We have repeatedly stressed that Gaza is uninhabitable and to force Gazans to live among unexploded ordnance is inhumane,” said Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council.
“President Trump has offered a humanitarian vision to rebuild Gaza and we continue to have discussions with regional partners on next steps,” he added, without answering questions on weapons supplied by the US, or its plans for the clean-up.
10 years, $500 Million
Seven weapons experts participating in UN-coordinated discussions on clearance efforts told Reuters it is too early to estimate how many unexploded munitions are in Gaza as there has been no survey. Most asked to remain anonymous, saying that to speak publicly about the weapons contamination or clearance challenges may interfere with their chances of working in Gaza.
The UN Mine Action Service, which removes explosive remnants, educates locals and helps victims, said its disposal teams have spotted hundreds of pieces of war ordnance on the surface, including aircraft bombs, mortars, rockets and Improvised Explosive Devices.
It expects many more may be concealed either in the rubble or lodged underground as “deep-buried bombs.”
Reuters found a bomb more than a meter long on a trash heap in Gaza City, spoke to a man in Nuseirat who said he had to live in a refugee camp because the authorities could not remove a bomb he found in his home, and to others who were still living in a building in Khan Younis beneath which an unexploded bomb was said by police and local authorities to be buried in the sand.
A UN report said two bombs were found at Gaza’s Nuseirat power plant. Gary Toombs, an explosive ordnance disposal expert with Humanity & Inclusion, an aid group, said he had seen bomb remnants being used to prop up homeless shelters. Reuters could not verify these reports.
The Egyptian foreign ministry, which has also presented a reconstruction plan for Gaza, said in March that removing unexploded ordnance would be a priority during the first six months of that project. Removing debris would continue for another two years. A foreign ministry official did not respond to a request for additional details.
Even if Israel cooperated unreservedly, a forum of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations called “the protection cluster” estimated in a document published in December that it could take 10 years and $500 million to clear the bombs.
4,000 duds
Explosive or not, the ruins contain elements like asbestos and contaminants, the UN Environment Programme says — plus thousands of bodies of Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
“The damage in Gaza is similar to an enormous earthquake and in the middle of it there’s a few thousand bombs to make it more difficult,” said Greg Crowther, Director of Programmes at the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a global humanitarian and advocacy organization that finds, removes and destroys unexploded bombs after conflict.
“You’ve got the incredibly long process of rebuilding and then these items mean it will take even longer.”
Taking Israel’s reported 40,000 air strikes as a basis, a 10 percent failure rate implies that even if each strike contained just one bomb there would be around 4,000 duds — not including naval or ground strikes or remnants left by Hamas and its allies.
Some experts like MAG’s Crowther think the bombs’ failure rate may be higher than one in 10 in urban centers, since bombs do not always detonate when piercing through multi-story buildings — especially ones that are already damaged.
“This is the most technically challenging and worst humanitarian situation I’ve ever seen,” said Toombs. He has demined in places including Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and Lebanon over a 30-year career.
“It’s going to be incredibly difficult.”
Data on the Israeli strikes from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) shows there have been strikes on Gaza almost every day. In total, the ACLED database shows over 8,000 air strike events — a term that can include multiple individual strikes.
ACLED said that by the end of 2024, Israel had carried out more than nine times as many air strikes as a US-led coalition had in the Battle of Mosul in Iraq in 2016-2017.
Mark 80 Bombs
Palestinian police say they lack equipment to safely clear the debris.
Salama Marouf, the head of the Hamas-run government media office, said 31 members of the police engineering division who deal with weapons clearance had been killed and 22 injured since the war, including while defusing bombs.
Basem Shurrab, the mayor of Al-Qarara town where the January 27 bulldozer explosion occurred, called for international teams to come and help the cleanup.
But those groups say they would need Israel to give the go-ahead for expert visas, armored vehicles, explosives and tunnelling equipment to extract buried bombs.
For now, deminers say they can only mark ordnance and seek to avoid accidents, especially involving children.
Murals and posters commissioned by charities including the Red Cross and Red Crescent show colorful balloons to attract children’s attention next to drawings of bombs and a skull and cross bones.
One shows a boy with an alarmed expression with a thought bubble reading: “DANGER: war ordnance.”
The heaviest class of bombs used in Gaza are the Mark 80s, of which the Mark 84 — a US-made, 2,000 pound aircraft bomb nicknamed the “hammer” by US pilots during the first Gulf War — is the biggest.
The Biden administration sent thousands of Mark 84s to Israel before pausing deliveries last year over concerns about the risk to civilians — a pause since reversed by Trump.
Reuters reporters found two Mark 80s lying in the ruins of Khan Younis, surrounded by red and white warning tape. Three weapons experts identified them from Reuters images. They said they appeared to be Mark 84s, but they could not be sure without measuring them.
If a Mark 84 bomb were to detonate it would leave a crater 14 meters wide, destroy everything within a 7 m radius and kill most people within a 31 m radius, according to PAX, an NGO working for peace based in the Netherlands.
The blast can shower lethal shrapnel fragments nearly 400 m, according to the US airforce. In a landscape as densely populated as Gaza, that could be catastrophic.
Living with a bomb
Hani Al Abadlah, a 49-year-old school teacher, returned to his home in Khan Younis after the January ceasefire to discover that an unidentified bomb had pierced through all three floors without detonating.
It is now believed to be nestled a few meters in the sand beneath his hallway, according to municipal officials and the police explosives engineering unit.
Three weapons disposal experts said a very heavy bomb such as a Mark 84 could have plunged into the deep sand, but added that it could have been removed before Al Abadlah returned — possibly to be reharvested by armed groups.
Al Abadlah said the rest of his family including his wife and children refused to move back because they were too afraid. But he prefers to live in his own damaged home with his brother and the suspected bomb rather than return to a cold tent.
He sleeps on the middle floor and his brother on the floor above.
“No one ... enters out of fear,” he said. “We now are trying to stay in the upper floors, far from where this war remnant is.”
