Israel and Gaza 2023

Satellite imagery, screenshot from Google Earth, October 2023

Belligerent
Palestinian Militants
Country
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure

Incident Code

PALIS010

Incident date

May 11, 2021

Location

عسقلان, Ashkelon, Israel

Geolocation

31.666667, 34.566667 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One Israeli civilian was killed and as many as seven injured when alleged Hamas militants fired a rocket struck the city of Ashkelon southern Israel on the 11th May, 2021, according to local reports.

Nella Gurevitz (between 52 and 57 years old) was killed and her husband injured, when a rocket reportedly fired by Hamas struck their apartment according to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Israeli media outlet Ynet named Mrs Gurevitz husband as Gregory, and described his injuries as light.

BelarusFeed reported that Nella and her husband were from Belarus and “the mayor’s office also clarified that Nella Gurevich was 57 years old and that the couple immigrated to Israel in 1990. The journalist of the Israel Segodnya newspaper contacted the neighbours of the family, who said that the couple was always friendly with them, but led a rather secluded life, the spouses did not have children. They confirmed that the couple came to Israel from Belarus.”

“I know Nellie as a very sympathetic person, she always tried to support me and other people. We shared interests in music, we both once graduated from a music school. It was a shock for me to find out that she was dead, I will miss her,” said Nella’s friend Anna Litrovnik.

As many as five other people were lightly injured by shrapnel, according to Haaretz.

Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed they carried out the strikes that resulted in casualties, posting in their Telegram channel that “A while ago, Al-Qassam Brigades bombarded occupied Ashkelon with a salvo of S40 missiles” and a bit later “The occupation officially acknowledges the killing of 2 of its [settlers] as a result of the recent Qassam bombing of Ashkelon.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Nella Gurevitz
52 years old female killed
Gregory
male Husband of Nella injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    Palestinian Militants

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Nella Gurevitz (52) of Ashkelon, was killed in the Hamas rocket attack on Ashkelon May 11, 2021. She was in her apartment together with her husband when a rocket hit her building. (Image posted by Ynet)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city Ashkelon (عسقلان), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.666667, 34.566667. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Palestinian Militants Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    Palestinian Militants
  • Palestinian Militants position on incident
    Credible / Substantiated
    The investigation assessed that although all feasible precautions were taken and the decision to strike complied with the law of armed conflict, unintended civilian casualties regrettably occurred.
  • Initial Airwars grading
    Confirmed
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    1
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    1

Original strike reports

Palestinian Militants

12:46
A while ago, Al-Qassam Brigades bombarded occupied Ashkelon with a salvo of S40 missiles

12:58
The enemy admits that a building in Ashkelon was hit and several injuries occurred, including serious cases, as a result of the recent Qassamese bombing with Sejil missiles

13:14
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The occupation officially acknowledges the killing of 2 of its [settlers] as a result of the recent Qassam bombing of Ashkelon

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    Palestinian Militants

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

ISPT0121

Incident date

October 11, 2023

Location

الشيخ رضوان, Sheikh Radwan, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.536752, 34.465399 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A woman was reportedly killed on Radwan street on October 11th 2023, her son, an Egyptian citizen from Cairo, Abdullah Mohammed Fares, was injured in the incident alongside his children.

Fares had arrived in Gaza a week prior to visit his wife’s family. He has since been campaigning for the Egyptian government to secure his return to Egypt.

In a video statement, Abdullah mentions that his family was living on Radwan Street when the strike occurred.

No further information was available on the names of Abdullah’s family members and how many of his children were injured, which has been quantified as 2 until further information comes to light.

None of the sources mentioned who was responsible and anything about the munitions used, with many of the sources reflecting circular reporting. Airwars has upgraded the incident as “contested” until further information comes to light.

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 local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

Abdullah Mohammed Fares عبد الله محمد مصلح أحمد
Adult male injured
Child of Abdullah Mohammed Fares
Child injured
Child of Abdullah Mohammed Fares
Child injured
Mother of Abdullah Mohammed Fares
Adult female killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Israeli Military, Palestinian Militants

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Sheikh Radwan (الشهداء), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.536752, 34.465399. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

{"type":"FeatureCollection","features":[{"type":"Feature","properties":{"stroke":"#ff0000","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1,"fill-opacity":0},"geometry":{"coordinates":[[34.46495367638482,31.539409148289934],[34.461966531250454,31.53647858628537],[34.46710270166233,31.532045936469913],[34.46378115311833,31.52944470780632],[34.46524772457377,31.52890896465631],[34.46611195418163,31.52828392709675],[34.46671429602921,31.527792823223294],[34.46894034198823,31.52623020280828],[34.469450974838395,31.52581750826353],[34.4704884752245,31.52648078351578],[34.47171461204414,31.526963162558985],[34.47251631688849,31.527164153091164],[34.473084838695286,31.527304846207002],[34.47393370264774,31.527606330740937],[34.47424023685224,31.527385242177374],[34.47464108927488,31.527706825369037],[34.47544279411824,31.52736514319163],[34.47711694246877,31.528751963093683],[34.476409555841684,31.529133837422236],[34.47702262425156,31.529535808712197],[34.47650387405895,31.530138762402757],[34.47711694246877,31.530621122552887],[34.47697546514334,31.53076181046096],[34.47718768113148,31.531063283835394],[34.47523057813018,31.531605933456092],[34.47313199780436,31.53331425426657],[34.471764383658325,31.53425884176704],[34.47032428918078,31.53518554909624],[34.46803707242043,31.536994289050554],[34.464971730371246,31.539385791417246]],"type":"LineString"}}]}

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Palestinian Militants Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Palestinian Militants
  • Palestinian Militants position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Israeli Military, Palestinian Militants

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

PALIS013

Incident date

May 12, 2021

Location

تل أبيب, Tel Aviv, Israel

Geolocation

32.066667, 34.783333 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A man in his 80’s collapsed during a rocket attack allegedly fired from Gaza in Tel Aviv on May 12th 2021, according to local reports. Reports are conflicted as to whether or not the man died as a result of the attack.

The Times of Israel reported that the man collapsed due to an apparent heart attack while making his way to a bomb shelter.

Anna Ahronheim, a journalist with Jerusalem Post, said the man died as a result of the incident, while Emanuel Fabian, an editor with the Times of Israel, said that medics who worked on the man informed him he was, “alive and breathing after resuscitation.”

No further information was provided as to the identity of the man.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Accidents related to conflict
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Palestinian Militants

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Missiles being launched from Gaza to Israel (Image posted by @TRTArabi)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Tel Aviv (תל אביב), for which the generic coordinates are:32.066667, 34.783333. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Palestinian Militants Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Palestinian Militants
  • Palestinian Militants position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Accidents related to conflict
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Palestinian Militants

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

PALIS026

Incident date

May 16, 2021

Location

عسقلان, Ashkelon, Israel

Geolocation

31.666667, 34.566667 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Rockets fired by Palestinian militants into the Israeli city of Ashkelon caused damage to a number of buildings and cars, physically injuring three civilians including an eight month old child.

Multiple reports state that all those physically injured sustained their injuries whilst seeking shelter from the rockets. This included an eight month old child who sustained minor injuries when their mother fell whilst rushing to a bomb shelter, a 75 year old male who sustained a fracture to his hand and a 71 year old victim. All three were treated at Barzilai Hospital, where several reports state that two civilians aged 19 and 26 were also treated for anxiety in relation to the rocket attack.

Al Qassam claimed responsibility for the attack, publishing in their Telegram channel that “a number of buildings were damaged and a vehicle caught fire after the recent Qassam bombing of Ashkelon, Ashdod and Beersheba”.

One source claims that a rocket directly penetrated a Synagogue and went through to the Rabbi’s apartment next door. Another source claimed that a rocket hit the roof of a house whilst the occupants, two children and their father, were inside but in their safe room and unharmed.

Two sources report that the incident occurred around midday.

The incident occured around midday.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    Palestinian Militants

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (10) [ collapse]

  • 'Synagogue in Ashkelon took at direct hit. The rocket went through the rabbi’s apartment next door.'
  • A soldier from the Israeli Home Front Command descends into a damaged drain next to a car destroyed by Palestinian rockets fired into Ashkelon on May 16 2021 (image via @qudsn)
  • A soldier from the Israeli Home Front Command descends into a damaged drain next to a car destroyed by Palestinian rockets fired into Ashkelon on May 16 2021 (image via @qudsn)
  • Two soldiers from the Israeli Home Front Command look at a damaged drain and car destroyed by Palestinian rockets fired into Ashkelon on May 16 2021 (image via @qudsn)
  • A car destroyed by Palestinian rockets fired into Ashkelon on May 16 2021 (image via @qudsn)
  • 'The effects of the rockets of the #Palestinian_resistance that targeted sites in #Ashkelon #Palestine #Jerusalem #Al-Aqsa Mosque #Gaza Under Bombardment #Sheikh_Jarrah Neighborhood #Palestine_Rising Up #Jerusalem_Rising Up #GazaUnderAttack #PalestineUnderAttack #GenocideinGaza'
  • The damage to a house directly hit by one of the Palestinian rockets fired into Ashkelon on May 16 2021 (image via @haynesdeborah)
  • The damage to the roof of a Synagogue that was directly hit by a Palestinian Rocket fired into Ashkelon on May 16 2021 (image via @TreyYingst)
  • Damage to the inside of a Synagogue hit by a Palestinian rocket fired into Ashkelon on May 16 2021 (image via Ashkelonim)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Ashkelon (אַשְׁקְלוֹן), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.666667, 34.566667. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Palestinian Militants Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    Palestinian Militants
  • Palestinian Militants position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Palestinian Militants

16 May, 2021
14:03
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Al-Qassam Brigades are now launching large rocket salvoes to the areas of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheba, Sderot, the Ra’im base, and the 8200 wiretapping base, in response to the heinous massacre against children, women and civilians in Gaza City, and the attack on Sheikh Jarrah’s people and their sympathizers

14:29
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The enemy admits that a number of buildings were damaged and a vehicle caught fire after the recent Qassam bombing of Ashkelon, Ashdod and Beersheba

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    Palestinian Militants

Sources (10) [ collapse]