Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A 55-year-old man was killed, and six others wounded when a rocket fired from Gaza struck the Ramat Gan neighbourhood of Tel Aviv in the early afternoon on May 15th, 2021, according to local and international media reports. Al Qassam claimed responsibility for the attack.
The man was named as Gershon Franco by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which added that he was laid to rest at the Yarn cemetery in Petah Tikva. On May 28th, 2021 Haaretz reported that Mr Franco had died as a result of wounds to his upper body and neck.
Magen David Adom paramedic, Lior Mermelstein, told Walla News: “When we arrived at the scene, we saw destruction and damage to buildings on the street. We went from door to door with large MDA forces and conducted searches in the apartments, in one of which we located a 50-year-old man unconscious. We performed medical tests to give him medical treatment, but after the resuscitation operations he was pronounced dead.” @Mdais also added that the six people who were injured had “light” injuries.
An article by the Dhi Qar Agency describes four holes in the door of Gershon apartment from the shrapnel that resulted in his death. Channel 12 news reported that the man did not have a protected area in his home and was unable to reach a bomb shelter in time.
Haaretz provided information about the victim, Gershon, that he was sick with cancer and was deemed 100% disabled. At one point, his federal allowance was not enough and he was homeless until his friends found him the apartment he was killed in, referred to as a “shack”, which was previously used for storing tools.
Naftali Cohen, Franco’s friend, told Haaretz, “He lived in it only because he didn’t want to sleep on the street. At least he had a shower and a bed – the rest we were able to arrange. He didn’t interest the welfare authorities. He appealed to them a million times. I told him we would go to the Housing Ministry and he said, ‘Naftali, help me. I have no strength to fight.’ No one listened to him.”
The mayor of Ramat Gan, Carmel Shama HaCohen, told Ynet that “if that resident had followed the Home Front Command’s instructions, even though he did not have a security guard in his housing unit, he would have survived.” However, his sister refuted this claim, saying that “He was 100% disabled with many medical problems, including severe leg pain, and they may have prevented him from running to the shelter during the alarm yesterday. No one cared what he was dealing with.”
According to the Jewish News Syndicate “a rocket landed in the middle of an adjacent street, causing serious damage to surrounding storefronts and dozens of apartments. The blast also caused a car parked on the street to go up in flames”. @Istanbultelaviv added that the rocket attack led 48 families to evacuate to hotels.
Al Qassam claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, posting in their Telegram channel at 11:29 that “Al-Qassam Brigades is now launching a missile strike on Tel Aviv with dozens of missiles in response to the Shati refugee camp massacre against women, children and the safe” and by 12:17 posted that “the enemy admits the killing of an occupier, the wounding of others, and the infliction of great damage in the recent Qassam bombing of Tel Aviv”.
The incident occured around midday.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (44) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (37) [ collapse]
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Translated caption reads: This is what the rockets did, and the attack in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv today (via @ShehabAgency)
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Image shows damage caused by a rocket attack on May 15th, 2021. A man died in the incident (image via @ShehabAgency)
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A man was killed in the Ramat Gan neighbourhood of Tel Aviv after a rocket struck the area. Image shows some of the damage (image via @ShehabAgency)
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Image shared in relation to the May 15th, 2021 rocket attack in a Tel Aviv neighbourhood (image via @MohamdNashwan)
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Rocket attack caused damage in a Tel Aviv neighbourhood. A 55-year-old man identified as Gershon Franco was killed and six others injured (image via @MohamdNashwan)
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Fires can be seen in the image which was shared in relation to a rocket attack in an Israeli neighbourhood on May 15th, 2021. The neighbourhood sustained damage as a result, a civilian man was killed and up to six civilians injured (image via @qudsn)
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Translated caption reads: #Photo of the great damage to an apartment in Ramat Gan due to the rockets and missiles fired from Gaza (image via @PalinfoAr)
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Image appears to show a body covered in material. Shared in relation to the rocket attack in Ramot Gan on May 15th, 2021 that killed Gershon Franco (image via Walid Mohammed Al Hasan)
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Image caption reads: Got up to my apartment roof where Israeli media are shooting live scenes of the devastation from the Gaza rocket that slammed into the middle of the street in Ramat Gan, killing a 50-year-old man (image via @JoshMarks78)
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Image caption reads: You can see the strength of the rocket that hit Ramat Gan killing a 55-year old man. 48 families were evacuated to hotels. The rocket hit in middle of the road (via @Istanbultelaviv)
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A rocket fired from Gaza struck the Ramat Gan neighbourhood of Tel Aviv in the early afternoon on May 15th, 2021. Image shows some of the damage (image via @Stone_SkyNews)
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Image from the Ramat Gan neighbourhood where a rocket struck killing a civilian and injuring six others (image via @Stone_SkyNews)
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Image showing the funeral of Gershon Franco who was killed in a May 15th, 2021 rocket attack in Ramot Gan. Caption reads: Four holes in the wooden door to his flat mark where shrapnel from a Hamas rocket hit Gershon Franco’s home & killed him (image via @patrickkingsley)
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Image shows damage caused by a rocket attack on May 15th, 2021. A man died in the incident (image via @ShehabAgency)
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Rockets launched from Gaza struck buildings around Ramat Gan in Tel Aviv on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by @MohamdNashwan)
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Rescue crews work to put out fires caused by strikes on Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by @qudsn)
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Rescue crews at the scene of strikes on Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by @AlarabyTV)
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Rescue crews at the scene of strikes on Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by @AlarabyTV)
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Rescue crews at the scene of strikes on Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by @AlarabyTV)
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Image appears to show a funeral. Shared in relation to the rocket attack in Ramot Gan on May 15th, 2021 that killed Gershon Franco (image via Walid Mohammed Al Hasan)
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Rescue crews at the scene of strikes on Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by Dhi Qar Agency)
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MDA medics are responding to rocket which fell in central Israel Ramat Gan which struck a residential area. (Image posted by @Mdais)
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MDA medics are responding to rocket which fell in central Israel Ramat Gan which struck a residential area. (Image posted by @Mdais)
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MDA medics are responding to rocket which fell in central Israel Ramat Gan which struck a residential area. (Image posted by @Mdais)
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Cleaning up damage from rocket that fell on Ramat Gan just outside Tel Aviv on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by @Stone_SkyNews)
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Cleaning up damage from rocket that fell on Ramat Gan just outside Tel Aviv on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by Walla News)
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Gershon Franco, in his 50s, was killed in Hamas rocket attacks on Ramat Gan on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by Ynet)
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The "shack" that Gershon Franco lived in when he was killed by shrapnel from a rocket on May 15, 2021. (Image posted by Haaretz)
Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a residential building being struck in the Ramat Gan (רמת גן) neighbourhood of Tel Aviv (תל אביב). Analyzing visual material from sources, we have narrowed down the location to these exact coordinates: 32.081325, 34.818636.
Palestinian Militants Assessment:
Original strike reports
11:29
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Al-Qassam Brigades is now launching a missile strike on Tel Aviv with dozens of missiles in response to the Shati refugee camp massacre against women, children and the safe.
11:58
The effects of the Qassam bombing on the Ramat Gan area in Tel Aviv
12:12
Al-Qassam Brigades renews its shelling of Tel Aviv with a missile launch
12:17
The enemy admits the killing of a rapist, the wounding of others, and the infliction of great damage in the recent Qassam bombing of Tel Aviv
Media
from belligerent (2) [ collapse]
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"The effects of the Qassam bombing on the Ramat Gan area in Tel Aviv" (Image posted by Al Qassam on Telegram)
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"The effects of the Qassam bombing on the Ramat Gan area in Tel Aviv" (Image posted by Al Qassam on Telegram)