Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

PALIS002

Incident date

May 10, 2021

Location

النقب الغربي, Western Negev, Israel

Geolocation

31.258889, 34.799722 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Subdistrict level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A missile, allegedly fired from Gaza, struck an ambulance injuring the driver in the Western Negev region of Israel on May 10th 2021, according to local reports.

The Magen David Adom medical service, which operates the ambulance, said the vehicle was struck by a rocket whilst traveling to attend to a call. The driver was treated by his colleagues for mild injuries and taken to Soroka Hospital, according to the source.

Israeli media outlet I24 described the munition as an “anti-tank projectile” and reported that the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad had claimed responsibility for the strike.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Hamas had claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was “in retaliation to [Israel’s] crimes and aggression on the holy city and brutality against our people in Sheikh Jarrah and Al Aqsa Mosque.” According to the source a spokesman for the group, Abu Obeida, said it would step up its attacks if Israel ramps up theirs. However, it is unclear if Hamas was specifically referring to this incident as they only referenced targeting Jerusalem.

A video, posted to the Magen David Adom Twitter account, shows one of its vehicles with a broken window. According to the source, the strike took place between the hours of 19:00 and 22:30.

 

The incident occured between 7:00 pm and 10:30 pm local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention an ambulance being struck in the Western Negev (النقب الغربي) area, potentially in vicinity of Beersheba () city where Soroka hospital is located. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Beersheba are: 31.258889, 34.799722.

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown

Sources (3) [ collapse]