Gaza Five-year-old Rawan Al Sawabha and her three-year-old brother Abdullah, like any other children, were full of energy and laughter a few weeks ago.
But now they are fighting for their lives in the intensive care unit after an unexploded ammunitions went off while they were playing in Rafah city, south of the Strip.
Their father Juma Al Sawabha said: "My brother brought some sand because he wanted to build a home. He piled the sand right outside the house and the children started to play there. The next thing we knew, there was an explosion."
"The sand was brought from previous Israeli colonies in southeast of Gaza before the Israelis withdrew in 2005."
A lot of sand is being brought in from that area as constructors believe the area being far from the sea has sand which is good for construction.
Al Sawabha said, "The doctors told me that my son's eyes might need further surgeries. What did these two children do to be harmed like this?"
Such accidents have happened in Gaza during the last couple of months. Most of them were in the eastern part of the city, causing injuries to children.
According to the interior ministry, around a 1,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped on Gaza during the 2009 war wth Israel, leaving some cluster bombs unexploded.
Civilians suffered greatly during the three-week conflict, with more than 1,300 killed and 5,000 wounded, the Gaza Ministry of Health figures show. The civilians continue to be at risk today. The fact that Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world makes the problem of unexploded munitions even more acute, experts say
Police spokesman, Emad Al Batnigi, said: "In the last few years, we managed to locate thousands of munitions and suspicious material with the help of international mines experts.
"Despite the distribution of leaflets and advertisements broadcasted through out the local media, many people have been injured in the last couple of years because of these unexploded munitions all over the costal territory.
"However, every time there is a military conflict with Israel, there is a chance for more unexploded munitions being left behind, creating new dangers for the people of Gaza."
Al Batnigi added: "We find these munitions in different shapes and sizes. Most unexploded material can't be easily noticed and that's why we ask people to be careful while dealing with them."
Israel has not yet provided the Palestinian government, or Gaza, nor any of the international organisations working here with any maps or information regarding the whereabouts of these unexploded bombs. Hamdi Shaqora, a senior researcher at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, said: "Most casualties are children as the Israeli army doesn't strike military targets. It targets civilian population and open places where children play.
Shaqora said: "These unexploded bombs might lead to death or a permanent disability. The injuries will haunt the victim for the rest of his life affecting him and his family both emotionally and financially."
"Israel is without doubt responsible for this irrational action by its army against the citizens, especially children which is totally forbidden by the international law," Shaqora added.
