Gaza teenager loses fingers due to explosives hidden in bottle

The UN Mine Action Service has warned that debris in the Strip contains unexploded ordnance

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Ahmed Samour, a 14-year-old boy in Gaza, has been seriously injured by explosives hidden inside a perfume bottle.

The teenager lost his fingers and sustained severe injuries to his legs during the incident in the rubble of his Gaza home.

In a video taken by The National, the teenager is seen screaming in pain while lying down on a hospital bed in the southern city of Rafah. He falls asleep in agony and can barely speak.

We saw his flesh everywhere, it was horrifying

Hussam Samour,
Ahmed’s brother

“When we came back home, Ahmed was playing with a bottle for a while until it exploded. We saw his flesh everywhere, it was horrifying,” Hussam Samour, Ahmed’s brother, 25, told The National.

"We saw his limbs being severed before our eyes, it was a tragic sight to see."

“Mohammed’s operation took a while, thank god it was successful and he is in good health,” his brother added.

His family had gone back home to check on their belongings after an Israeli strike targeted the area. He was looking for some of his possessions when the explosion occurred.

Ahmed’s mother and father were also injured.

“I think about how he’s going to live his life, every time I sleep I scream thinking about what had happened to him,” Sabreen Samour, Ahmed’s mother, told The National.

Mrs Samour requires further medical treatment.

"Mohammed approached me with a bottle in his hand, he asked me what it was, and I told him that I have no idea. Then, in an instant, it detonated in our home," she said, adding that chaos occurred and she saw Mohammed lying on the floor in his blood.

"I thought he was killed but couldn't believe that he is OK, despite the tragedy we are thankful that he is alive," she said.

According to a report from local authorities in Gaza, around 10 per cent of bombs that dropped on the Gaza Strip during the war are unexploded.

The UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, said that much of the debris in Gaza is laced with unexploded ordnance (UXO).

“While determining the exact amount of UXOs throughout Gaza is impossible, at least 10 per cent of ammunition fails to detonate when fired,” UNMAS said in a statement last month.

The agency estimated that it would take 14 years to clear all explosives and make Gaza safe again.

The United Nations Children’s Agency, Unicef, warned of serious consequences that children in the Strip are experiencing.

“The evidence is irrefutable. When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, children suffer profoundly, not just physically but in every aspect of their lives,” Unicef Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said in a statement last month.

“Thousands of young lives are abruptly ended or forever altered each year,” he added.

“Beyond children’s physical injuries and scars lie additional – often less visible – psychological, educational and social impacts that can persist throughout their lifetimes, creating cycles of hardship and suffering.”