A double tap, or double-tap, is the practice of following a strike (be it bombardment such as missile strike, air strike, artillery shelling, or detonation of explosive weapon or improvised explosive device) with a deliberately timed second strike in the same place several minutes later, usually in an attempt to maximize the casualties of an attack. A triple tap refers to an additional third strike which follows the second strike. The term is usually associated with instances where emergency responders and medical personnel rushing to the site hit by the first strike are hit by the second strike.[1][2][3][4] A quadruple tap refers to a sequence of four strikes, where three subsequent waves follow an initial attack in the same location to target those who gather at the site.[5]
A Florida Law Review article defines the practice as strikes separated by five to twenty minutes, stating that the practice likely is a war crime and arguing that it violates the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which prohibit targeting civilians, the wounded, and those no longer able to continue fighting.[6]
Examples
editThe use of double-tap strikes by coalition forces during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) sparked debate due to the possibility of non-combatants, including medical personnel, being among those responding to the first strike and therefore being hit by the second strike.[7] Double-tap strikes have been used by Saudi Arabia during its military intervention in Yemen,[8][9] by the United States in Pakistan, Yemen, and the Gulf of Mexico,[10][11][12][13] by Israel in the 2014 Gaza War, the Gaza war (2023-present), and the 2026 Lebanon war,[14][15][16][17] by Russia and the Ba'athist Syria in the Syrian civil war,[18][19] and by Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian War, especially since the full-scale invasion in 2022.[20]
2025 Nasser Hospital strikes
editOn 25 August 2025, an Israel Defense Forces double tap strike hit the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, killing 22 people, including 5 journalists. Among the journalists killed were the following: a Reuters cameraman, Hussam al-Masri; Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old female freelance journalist for Associated Press; Mohammed Salama, an Al Jazeera cameraman; Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance photographer who also was working with Reuters, and Ahmed Abu Aziz, a correspondent for Middle East Eye and Quds News Network.
The attack also claimed the lives of medical staff, a paramedic, and other civilians, with approximately 50 others wounded, including Reuters photographer Hatem Khaled who later died. The attacks targeted the hospital's fourth floor, resulting in casualties and damage. The strikes have drawn international condemnation and have been widely covered regarding the protection of medical facilities and journalists during the Gaza war.[21]
2026 Mayfadoun ambulance strikes
editOn 15 April 2026, Israeli forces carried out a quadruple tap strike in Mayfadoun, Lebanon. The attack involved four consecutive waves of strikes targeting three different ambulance corps. After an initial airstrike, paramedics from the Islamic Health Association were hit by a second strike while responding to the scene. As additional rescuers from the Islamic Risala Scout Association and the Nabatieh Emergency Services arrived to evacuate the wounded, two further strikes hit their vehicles.[5]
The four strikes resulted in the deaths of four paramedics and the wounding of six others. While the Israeli military has previously stated that such strikes target infrastructure used by combatants, the Nabatieh emergency services released video evidence of the ambulance interiors to demonstrate they were not transporting weapons. The Lebanese Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization condemned the incident, noting that medical personnel are protected non-combatants under international law. The event was cited by rescuers and journalists as a deadly escalation of the "double tap" tactic, leading to the coining of the term "quadruple tap".[5][22][23]
References
edit- ↑ "Double Tap Strikes: Deliberate Attacks on First Responders in Syria and Yemen – Defenders for Medical Impartiality". defendmedicalimpartiality.org. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ↑ Woods, Chris; Yusufzai, Mushtaq (1 August 2013). "Drone strikes in Pakistan -- Get the Data: The return of double-tap drone strikes". The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Archived from the original on 7 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Thompson, Julian; Rehn, Marius; Lossius, Hans Morten; Lockey, David (24 September 2014). "Risks to emergency medical responders at terrorist incidents: a narrative review of the medical literature". Critical Care. 18 (5): 521. doi:10.1186/s13054-014-0521-1. PMC 4422304. PMID 25323086.
- ↑ Gips, Michael A. (July 2003). "Secondary Devices a Primary Concern". Security Management. 47 (7): 16, 18, 20. OCLC 4769515160. Retrieved 9 August 2023 – via Office of Justice Programs.
- 1 2 3 Christou, William (16 April 2026). "Israel escalates attacks on medics in Lebanon with deadly 'quadruple tap'". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ Alexander, Samuel (21 February 2018). "Double-Tap Warfare: Should President Obama Be Investigated for War Crimes?". Florida Law Review. 69 (1): 261. ISSN 1045-4241.
- ↑ Grieco, Ikenberry & Mastanduno 2022, pp. 303−304.
- ↑ Dehghan, Saeed (16 September 2016). "'After an hour the plane came back': repeated airstrikes take toll on Yemeni civilians". theguardian.com.
- ↑ "The Human Rights Abuses in Yemen's 'Forgotten War'". Time. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ↑ Norton, Alex; Nakashima, Ellen (28 November 2025). "Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ↑ Taylor, Jerome (25 September 2012). "Outrage at CIA's deadly 'double tap' drone". London: Independent. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ↑ Friedersdorf, Conor (24 October 2013). "Drone Attacks at Funerals of People Killed in Drone Strikes". The Atlantic. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ↑ "Drones kill rescuers in 'double tap', say activists". BBC News. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ Bachmann, Jutta; Baldwin-Ragaven, Laurel; Hougen, Hans-Petter; Leaning, Jennifer; Kelly, Karen; Özkalipci, Önder; Reynolds, Louis; Vacas, Alicia (20 January 2015). Gaza 2014 - Findings of an Independent Medical Fact-Finding Mission (PDF) (Report). Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Mellen, Riley (14 July 2024). "Israel Struck Twice in Its Attack on Al-Mawasi, Videos and Photos Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ↑ "Israel bombed Gaza hospital a second time, killing rescuers, say health officials". The Guardian. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ↑ "Consecutive Israeli strikes kill 4 Lebanese medics as Israel-Hezbollah war grinds on". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Associated Press. 15 April 2026. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
- ↑ "Idlib 'double tap' air strikes: Who's to blame?". BBC News. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ↑ Parker, Claire (22 July 2022). "Russia and Syria conducted dozens of illegal 'double tap' strikes, report says". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ↑ Epstein, Jake. "Russia is bombing the same targets moments apart to kill Ukrainian rescue crews that arrive to save survivors". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ↑ "Israeli strike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital kills at least 20 people, including 5 journalists, health officials say". CBS News. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Inside the 'quadruple tap' strike on Lebanon paramedics". www.cbc.ca. 23 April 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "israeli-attacks-in-south-lebanon-turn-rescue-operations-into-suicide-missions/". www.thenationalnews.com. 17 April 2026.
Notes
editSources
edit- Grieco, J.; Ikenberry, G.J.; Mastanduno, M. (2022). Introduction to International Relations: Perspectives, Connections and Enduring Questions. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-93374-3. Retrieved 23 June 2024.