Deadly unexploded munitions pose threat to Gaza children

War has left Gaza littered with unexploded bombs that will take years to clear, with children drawn to metal casings maimed or even killed when they try to pick them up, a demining expert said.

Nicholas Orr, a former UK military deminer, told AFP after a mission to the war-battered Palestinian territory that "we're losing two people a day to UXO (unexploded ordnance) at the moment".

According to Orr, who was in Gaza for charity Handicap International, most of the casualties are children out of school, desperate for something to do, searching through the rubble of bombed-out buildings sometimes for lack of better playthings.

Orr said that while no one is safe from the threat posed by unexploded munitions, children are especially vulnerable.

"You pick that up and that detonates. That's you and your family gone, and the rest of your building."