Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Between two and three civilians were killed and two to three other civilians, including a child, were injured in alleged Israeli airstrikes on the town of Bani Suhaila on May 12, 2021.
According to @GazaNewsOfficia, “two martyrs and two injured in the bombing of a civilian car in the town of Bani Suhaila”. However, @drshebo put the number of civilians killed at three while Al Ghad TV reported that three civilians were injured in addition to one civilian killed.
A tweet from @qudsn identified two of the civilians killed: Majed Abu Saadeh and Mahmoud Abu Amer.
Al Mezan published in their report that “in Khan Younis, at 2:05pm on 12 May 2021, Israeli air forces launched a missile onto a gas distribution vehicle as it was passing through the town of Bani Suhaila. The missile resulted in the death of Majid Abd Rabbu Mahmoud Abu Sa’ada, 57, a resident of Bani Suhaila, and Mahmoud Ahmed Abu Amer, 37, a resident of Abasan in eastern Khan Younis. Mohannad Tayseer Abu Eilyaan, 15, was also critically injured in the attack.”
B’Tselem collected testimony from Ibrahim Abu Sa’adah, 31, father of four and son of Majd, who was killed: “On Wednesday, 12 May 2021, I was in my apartment on the third floor of our family’s building, which is on the town’s main street. We have a hardware store on the ground floor. At 1:50 P.M., I was standing by the window overlooking the street and saw my father standing and talking with his friend, Mahmoud Abu ‘Amer, who had brought us a gas balloon. My father paid him and then stood chatting with him for a few minutes. There were drones hovering over us. They never leave us alone, day or night. Suddenly, a missile was fired at Abu ‘Amer’s car from one of the drones. It hit the car, which immediately blew up because there were gas balloons inside. The area was covered in smoke and dust. The moment I heard the blast, I lay down flat on the ground. At first, I thought it was a warning missile fired at our house. A few moments later, I got up and looked out the window, and saw my father lying on the road. His friend, Abu ‘Amer, was inside the car and his body was on fire. I ran outside. There were already a lot of people there. I picked my father up. He’d been hit by shrapnel in the head, chest and neck. He was dying. I carried him to the stairway and laid him down. He said his prayers and passed away. Meanwhile, other residents tried to put out the fire in the car. Five minutes later, an ambulance arrived and took the martyrs to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. I stayed at home. That day, after the doctors pronounced my father’s death, we buried him at the Bani Suheila cemetery.”
@ShehabAgency identified the car as being a Peugeot model and belonging to Majed, in addition to pinpointing the location to near al-Awda bakery. A tweet from @Riashy47211 added that the vehicle targeted was a “gas distribution car”.
All of the sources that reported on the incident and identified who was responsible blamed Israel for carrying out the strikes.
The incident occured at 14:05:00 local time.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (29) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (12) [ collapse]
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The vehicle destroyed by airstrikes on Bani Suhaila on May 12, 2021. (Image posted by @said2795)
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The vehicle destroyed by airstrikes on Bani Suhaila on May 12, 2021. (Image posted by @said2795)
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The vehicle destroyed by airstrikes on Bani Suhaila on May 12, 2021. (Image posted by @said2795)
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Funeral for Majed Abu Saadeh, killed in airstrikes on Bani Suhaila on May 12, 2021. (Image posted by @pl24online)
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Funeral for Majed Abu Saadeh, killed in airstrikes on Bani Suhaila on May 12, 2021. (Image posted by @pl24online)
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Funeral for Majed Abu Saadeh, killed in airstrikes on Bani Suhaila on May 12, 2021. (Image posted by @pl24online)
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Funeral for Majed Abu Saadeh, killed in airstrikes on Bani Suhaila on May 12, 2021. (Image posted by @pl24online)
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"Photo of the martyr Mahmoud Abu Amer, who rose by the occupation bombing of a city car in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis" (Image posted by @Gazapres)
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"Photo of the martyr Majed Abu Saadeh, who rose by the occupation bombing of a city car in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis" (Image posted by @Gazapres)
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"Photo of the martyr Mahmoud Abu Amer, who rose by the occupation bombing of a city car in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis" (Image posted by Abo Mohammed via Facebook)
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"Photo of the martyr Majed Abu Saadeh, who rose by the occupation bombing of a city car in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis" (Image posted by Marwan Abo Mutlak via Facebook)
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Abu ‘Amer’s car going up in flames after being bombed in Bani Suheila on May 12, 2021. (Image posted by B'Tselem)
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck in the vicinity of Al Awda bakery (مخبز العودة), allegedly within the town of Bani Suheila (بني سهيلا). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Bani Suheila are: 31.339462, 34.324550.