On the afternoon of November 3rd 2023, at least 15 people were killed with reports of dozens of others injured as a result of an Israeli airstrike on an ambulance at the gates of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Major news outlets and human rights groups linked the strike to an Israeli military statement that confirmed an airstrike on an ambulance allegedly operated by Hamas militants that day, though the statement did not specify the location or acknowledge the harm allegations connected to this specific event.

56-year-old Sharif Hamdi Harara, his 30-year-old son Haitham Harara, 36-year-old Sami Hassan Massoud, and 21-year-old Ahmed Hani al-Sheikh Yousif were all reportedly killed in the alleged Israeli airstrike on the hospital. The Government Media Office in Gaza reported that Haitham Harara was the 46th journalist to be killed in the 26 days of conflict between October 7 and November 3, 2023.

The deaths were reported across social media platforms in posts by various family members. Sami’s nephew, Wesam Ali Masuood, remembered his “dear uncle” and asked that “God have mercy” on him. Ahmed’s cousin, Ismail Fadl, offered prayers for Ahmed, asking that “God accept” him and “make his abode in heaven”.

Perhaps due to Haitham’s public-facing role as a journalist, his death was reported by some media outlets, as well as by family via Facebook posts, including posts from his cousin, Mahmoud Harara. Mahmoud, remembering his cousin, “Sharif Hamdi Harara and his son […] Haitham Sharif Harara” asked “Allah to have mercy on them and accept them”.

In a post shared by Twitter/X user @InsiderMix1 and said to be Haitham’s last upload to Facebook (dated October 13), he had written: “We will not flee, and we will not leave, and you will see nothing from us but steadfastness and certainty. And if there is to be an exodus, it will either be to our occupied lands or to God, the Lord of the worlds.”

Sources varied widely on the figures for those killed and injured. Al Araby news reported that six people had died in the attack but some sources claimed via Twitter/X that as many as 70 people were killed as a result of the alleged Israeli bombing. Al Jazeera Egypt reported that the Gazan Ministry of Health reported 13 people killed and 26 injured, however another Al Jazeera English report wrote that the Palestinian Red Crescent Society later confirmed that 15 people were killed and 60 injured as a result of the alleged airstrike.

Sky News Arabia released testimonies from two people, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Abdul Jalil Hanjal, and the Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Muhammad Abu Salmiya. Hanjal reported that at 4:30 pm, a convoy of ambulances, including ambulances belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent, were allegedly attacked by an Israeli aircraft while on a mission to transport wounded to the Rafah crossing for medical care in Egypt. Hanjal reported that shells initially fell close to the ambulances while on their way to the hospital but that they continued on until an ambulance belonging to the Palestinian Ministry of Health reportedly suffered a direct hit at the gates of Al-Shifa Medical Complex. Hanjal added that this airstrike also damaged a Palestinian Red Crescent vehicle and led to injuries of Palestinian health and ambulance crews. Hanjal continued, stating that dozens of civilians were also killed, as many people had been gathered by the hospital gates at the time.

The Sky News Arabia article reported that Abu Salmiya, Director of Al-Shifa, said that a paramedic and ambulance driver were both killed in the alleged Israeli airstrike. Neither their names nor ages were found online. A photographer, Abdul Hakim Abu Reyash, according to an Al Jazeera English article, said that those injured in the ambulances were mainly women.

The Gaza Ministry of Health claimed that the Red Crescent informed involved parties about the movement of injured people from Al-Shifa Hospital to the Rafah crossing. They also reported that the convoy was attacked across multiple locations.

Shehab News reported that the Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex reported that medical teams and paramedics were killed and injured in the attack. One Al Jazeera report referenced the Director General of Hospitals in Gaza who reported that the Israeli military had bombed ambulance convoys three times across Gaza that day.

According to multiple sources, Al Shifa was housing the highest number of injured people in Gaza at the time of the alleged Israeli airstrike: al-Qahera News reported that as many as 60,000 displaced people may have been inside the complex on November 3rd. According to the World Health Organisation, the bed occupancy at Al-Shifa Medical Complex was at 164% of its capacity.

Photos and videos from the scene shared by a variety of sources showed a chaotic and crowded environment outside of the hospital. An image of a heavily damaged ambulance was shared by multiple sources, with a dead horse lying next to it. Many people were carrying those wounded in the attack while others were covering multiple bodies on the ground.

The Director General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that he was “deeply” shocked by what happened. Lynn Hastings, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, also expressed shock at the report of the Israeli attack on the ambulance.

Human Rights Watch alleged that the airstrike was possibly unlawful, and called for it to be investigated as a possible war crime.

In a Telegram post published at 8:08 pm local time on the day of the strike, the Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that “an IDF aircraft struck an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone”. The Israeli military also claimed that “a number” of Hamas fighters were killed in the attack. Investigations by Human Rights Watch and The Washington Post found no evidence linking the ambulance or anyone at the scene to Hamas. Similarly, Airwars was unable to find evidence through open sources that any of those killed or injured were associated with a militant group. This assessment will be updated should further information come to light.

In addition, multiple sources, including Al Jazeera, CNN, and Reuters, cited the IDF statement from November 3, linking it to the ambulance referenced in this assessment, which was struck outside of Al-Shifa Hospital. However, the statement made by the IDF failed to give specific time-date or location information. As such, Airwars has graded this as a “likely” strike, rather than declared. This assessment will be updated should additional information become available.

All four individuals killed were matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023 the MoH has released six lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, all four names were matched to the third Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza released on April 1st, 2024. The age information referenced in this assessment was sourced by matching the names to the MoH list.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli Military.