Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0075a

Incident date

October 9, 2023

Location

عبسان الكبيرة, Abasan Al Kabira, Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.323183, 34.344076 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On October 9th, five Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedics sustained minor injuries after an alleged Israeli strike hit close to PRCS ambulances in Abasan, Khan Younis. PRCS reported that the paramedics were harmed by Israeli bombing while they were working to treat injured civilians following former strikes on two civilian homes, after PRCS received a “distress call”. The same source alleged that the attack led to “direct and severe damage to the vehicles, forcing the crew to safely withdraw to a distance of more than 100 metres”.

Several local sources said that five paramedics were “slightly injured” while PRCS claimed that the staff members were taken by another ambulance to Nasser hospital to be checked and all of them were “in good health” condition.  PRCS’s publication on Facebook stated that “targeting ambulances, hospitals, and medical teams is considered a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law”.

Only one source, PRCS, attributed the strike to the Israeli forces. The same source reported the attack at 23:52. Details about the identity of the paramedics injured were not available.

Due to the scale and urgency of Airwars’ assessment process, all images have been automatically uploaded to each assessment with the graphic filter applied to protect users. We have also included all images identified from the sources, which may also include any imagery of combatants.

The incident occured at 23:52:00 local time.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Abasan Al Kabira (عبسان الكبيرة), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.323183, 34.344076. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Israeli Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Israeli Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]