Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Between two and seven civilians were reportedly injured in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis on May 14th, 2021.
A house belonging to the Abu Shakra family was hit in the incident. Many sources said it specifically belonged to Ziad Abu Shakra. Al Haq said this led to two injuries, while the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said seven people were injured as a result of shattering rubble, with neighbouring houses also damaged.
It noted that the house was home to a family of seven, including 2 women and 3 children, but it was not clear if any of that family were among the injured. Al Mezan said the seven injuries were from shrapnel. A second house in the area, owned by the Abu Shahla family, was also hit but there were no reported casualties as a result.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reported: “At approximately 18:50, an Israeli drone fired a missile at a house belonging to Ziad ‘Abdel ‘Aziz Abu Shaqrah in al-Sheikh Naser neighborhood in Khan Younis. Few minutes later, Israeli warplanes launched a missile at a one-story house (360 sqms) and completely destroyed it.”
The Israeli Defence Forces confirmed that they targeted two houses, although it refers to them as apartments. The statement says that “IDF fighter jets and aircraft struck two apartments which served as weapons storage warehouses for the Hamas terror organisation. The warehouses that were struck were in the residence of Hamas naval force operatives Muhammad Abu Shala and Fares Abu Shukran.” It also published a video of the airstrikes.
ِAl Mezan Centre for Human Rights reported that according to its field reports, Israeli forces had called the residents of Abu Shakra’s house 30 minutes before the attack to inform them of their intention to target the property. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights others in the area were also called to tell nearby houses to also evacuate.
A social media post from Al Habeeb Najjar noted that Ziad Abu Shakra, the reported owner of the houses, was an engineer. Najjar identified himself as Ziad Shakra’s brother-in-law.
Al Haq said the strike happened at 8.35pm while two other sources said it happened at 6.50pm.
The incident occured at approximately 6:50 pm local time.
Geolocation notes (4) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a house in the Sheikh Nasser (الشيخ ناصر) neighbourhood of Khan Younis (خان يونس). Analyzing visual material from sources, we have narrowed down the location to these exact coordinates: 31.340836, 34.311321.
Summary
Sources (13) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]
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Translated image caption: The house of Engineer Ziad Abu Shakra, my sister's husband, was bombed and flattened. (Image posted by Al Habeeb Najjar)
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Between two and seven civilian casualties were reported injured from a confirmed Israeli airstrike on a building on May 14th, 2021. (Image posted by Jihad Al Battah)
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Image of damage caused to a house in Khan Younis shared by someone describing themselves as a neighbour. (Image posted by Jihad Al Battah)
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Image of damage caused in Khan Younis shared by someone describing themselves as a neighbour. (Image posted by Jihad Al Battah)
Israeli Military Assessment:
Original strike reports
IDF strikes two weapons storage warehouses belonging to Hamas naval force operatives
Earlier today, an IDF fighter jet and aircraft struck two apartments which served as weapons storage warehouses for the Hamas terror organization. The warehouses that were struck were in the residence of Hamas naval force operatives Muhammad Abu Shala and Fares Abu Shukran.
Attached is a video from the strike: https://bit.ly/2QjIMln