Double tap strike

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For other uses, see Double tap (disambiguation).

A 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 several minutes later, hitting emergency responders and medical personnel rushing to the site, usually in an attempt to maximize the casualties of an attack.[1][2][3][4] A Florida Law Review article argued that the practice likely is a war crime since it grossly violates the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which prohibit targeting civilians, the wounded, and those no longer able to continue fighting.[5]

The 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.[6] Double-tap strikes have been used by Saudi Arabia during its military intervention in Yemen,[7][8] by the United States in Pakistan, Yemen, and the Gulf of Mexico,[9][10][11][12] by Israel in Gaza in 2014, 2024 and 2025,[13][14][15] by Russia and the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war,[16][17] and by Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian War, especially since the full-scale invasion in 2022.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Grieco, Ikenberry & Mastanduno 2022, pp. 303−304.
  7. ^ Dehghan, Saeed (16 September 2016). "'After an hour the plane came back': repeated airstrikes take toll on Yemeni civilians". theguardian.com.
  8. ^ "The Human Rights Abuses in Yemen's 'Forgotten War'". Time. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Taylor, Jerome (25 September 2012). "Outrage at CIA's deadly 'double tap' drone". London: Independent. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  11. ^ Friedersdorf, Conor (24 October 2013). "Drone Attacks at Funerals of People Killed in Drone Strikes". The Atlantic. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Drones kill rescuers in 'double tap', say activists". BBC News. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "Israel bombed Gaza hospital a second time, killing rescuers, say health officials". The Guardian. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Idlib 'double tap' air strikes: Who's to blame?". BBC News. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.

Sources

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