Five tons of unexploded bombs have been stolen from Gaza under Hamas' guard, according to the United Nations and reported by the AP.
U.N. spokesman Richard Miron said the explosives were being stored in Gaza until a U.N. team of disposal experts could disarm them, but they disappeared.
The bombs were dropped on Gaza during Israel's offensive there last month, according to another U.N. official. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said three one-ton bombs and eight quarter-ton bombs were taken from the warehouse in northern Gaza.
"It's clearly extremely dangerous and needs to be disposed of in a safe manner," Miron said. The material was under guard by Hamas police between Feb. 4 and 14 when it was stolen, he said.
Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner told The Associated Press that the explosives were probably taken by Hamas. He said Israel had been informed by the U.N. about the missing ordnance.
Israel has blamed Hamas for stealing the bombs, reports Haaretz. The explosives include aircraft bombs and white phosphorous shells.
Haaretz also reports that a UN team has been working in Gaza for the past three weeks but has been delayed by Israel.
A UN team trained to remove and destroy unexploded ordnance has been operating in the Gaza Strip for three weeks, but its work is being held up because Israel has not approved the entry of its equipment nor an area for storing and neutralizing ordnance.
For now some of the latter, located by the Palestinian police, is being stored in locations that are dangerously close to population centers in Rafah, Khan Yunis and Gaza City. The team is waiting for permission from the IDF to use two safe areas to dispose of the ordnance.
Despite the delays, the team has made some progress that does not depend on equipment, especially in searching out unexploded ordnance, many of which have already been collected by Hamas officials.