This round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict that began in October 2023 has left approximately 37 million tons of debris in the Gaza Strip, a senior official with the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said Friday.
Pehr Lodhammar, senior officer with the UNMAS, told a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland that there were also large amounts of unexploded ordnance buried in the rubble, posing risks to the clean-up work.
"What we do know is that we estimated 37 million tons of debris, which is approximately three hundred kilos of debris per square meter, 65 percent of the buildings that have been destroyed are residential buildings. An estimation has been done based on the current number of tons of debris in Gaza, and with 100 trucks, we're talking about 14 years of work with 100 trucks," he said.
The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip from the ongoing Israeli attacks had risen to 34,454, according to a press statement released by the Hamas-run Health Ministry on Sunday.
It said that the Israeli army had carried out seven military operations in the past 24 hours which killed 66 Palestinians and wounded 138 others, bringing the total injuries to 77,575 in addition to the death toll since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct 7, 2023.
Gaza sees 37 mln tons of warfare debris: UN
Organizers of the 2024 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival on Tuesday unveiled the jury panels who will both pick out the winners of the prestigious Golden Goblet Award for best film and the year's best TV content in the highly sought after Magnolia Awards.
Scheduled to run from June 14-28, the annual event, jointly hosted by the China Media Group (CMG) and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, will select the very best productions out of thousands of films and TV creations which are vying for victory in the coveted entertainment industry awards.
During a press briefing for the event held in the capital Beijing on Tuesday, officials revealed the promotional posters for both events, drawing inspiration from the captivating cityscape and iconic landmarks of the east China metropolis of Shanghai.
Additionally, the jury committees for the major competition categories were announced. Notably, French-Vietnamese filmmaker Tran Anh Hung will lead the jury panel for the Golden Goblet Award, while Chinese director Yan Jiangang will preside over the top Magnolia Award for the TV industry.
The CMG will provide comprehensive coverage of the two-week-long festival period, with over 300 hours of uninterrupted live streaming, while also inviting renowned figures from the film and TV industry to share their insights and experiences during a series of special programs aired as part of the event.
Organizers note that thousands of works have come in from around the world, offering a distinct international flavor with a feast of different cultures, while a record number of productions are also set to make their debuts during the festival.
"We have received over 3,700 films from 105 countries and regions for exhibition or competition for the Golden Goblet Award since the collection began. A total of 2,224 works registered for competition, with over 1,375 works making their debut during the festival, marking a record high. This underscores the growing international influence of the Golden Goblet Award and reflects our commitment to cultural exchanges worldwide with strong cultural confidence, advancing Shanghai's vision of becoming an international cultural metropolis," said Chen Guo, director of Shanghai International Film and TV Festival Center.
Authorities unveil jury panels for upcoming Shanghai Int'l Film, TV Festival
