(Previous Incident Code: ISPT083)

Two civilians, one of whom was reportedly a freelance journalist, were severely injured in an alleged Israeli artillery strike on Rafah in the Southern Gaza Strip during the early hours of May 16th 2021.

Ra’ed Mohammed Abdel Wahab Sabbah, aged 46, and Alam al-Deen Abdel Rahman Mohammed Sabbah, aged 23, were reportedly injured by shrapnel from an artillery shell that struck Awni Duhair Street in Rafah around 00:20, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR). Multiple sources including PCHR have reported that both sustained serious injuries, with family members reporting via social media that Ra’ed, a freelance journalist, required intensive medical care.

The Israeli military has not acknowledged the strike, which appears to have been the result of artillery shelling. One source, an individual called Fathi Sabbah, posted on Facebook that the shell came from an Israeli tank stationed behind the Gaza separation barrier. There is also direct footage of the moments of the strike, taken by Alam al-Deen Abdel Rahman Mohammed Sabbah, one of the victims.