Rights groups say Israeli attack that killed Lebanese journalist an apparent war crime
Amal Khalil was killed and her colleague Zeinab Faraj wounded in an Israeli attack in April; Israel denied targeting the journalists.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have characterized an Israeli assault in southern Lebanon, which resulted in the death of al-Akhbar newspaper reporter Amal Khalil and severe injuries to freelance camera operator Zeinab Faraj, as a probable war crime. Both organizations are demanding an independent inquiry into the incident.
Separate investigations conducted by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International concluded that the journalists were deliberately targeted on April 22 while reporting in the town of al-Tiri. They advocate for an independent investigation and for Lebanon to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli military, however, denied intentionally targeting the journalists, informing the BBC that its three strikes were aimed at two operatives of the armed group Hezbollah.
Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), stated, "The Israeli military says it does not target journalists, but the facts and evidence show that it has repeatedly done so. Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj are the latest victims in a long series of such attacks."
The two human rights groups reported that they examined photographic and video evidence from the events in al-Tiri, along with witness testimony from Faraj and first responders, media reports, and a message from the Lebanese Red Cross to the Israeli military.
According to HRW's reconstruction of events, the initial Israeli strike, around 14:30 local time, hit a car in front of the two female journalists, killing two men they knew, Ali Bazzi and Mohammed al-Hourani. HRW stated that this strike forced Khalil and Faraj to abandon their vehicle and seek refuge near a nearby building. They contacted the Lebanese Red Cross for assistance, and at 15:00, the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (Unifil) relayed a request from the Lebanese Red Cross to the Israeli military for access to the site to rescue them.
A second strike, occurring between 15:21 and 15:42, hit the journalists' parked car, injuring Khalil, HRW added. She and Faraj then took shelter inside the building, which was subsequently destroyed by a third strike around 16:25.
Israeli quadcopter drones reportedly monitored Faraj and Khalil throughout the attack. Faraj recounted to Amnesty, "The drones got extremely close, coming through the broken roof. Less than a meter away. I was covering my face, thinking of a video I had seen where a drone killed someone like that. I thought it would explode in my face. The drones didn't carry visible explosives, but they were hovering and provoking fear constantly."
Phone records reviewed by the rights group indicated that Khalil maintained contact with first responders and family members as the attacks unfolded.
A Lebanese Red Cross team managed to enter the town after 17:00. However, witnesses told HRW that as paramedics began rescue efforts, they came under fire from a drone-delivered stun grenade and were forced to retreat without recovering Khalil. Photographs reviewed by the group also showed damage to the Lebanese Red Cross ambulance consistent with small-arms fire.
HRW stated that a report from Tebnin Governmental Hospital suggested Khalil was likely still alive when paramedics were forced to withdraw from the site around 17:53. The report indicated Khalil died around 19:00 due to cardiac arrest, also noting a head injury that caused severe bleeding. Her body was eventually recovered by rescue workers around 23:00.
The Israeli military stated that the strikes that killed Khalil and wounded Faraj were "part of a series of events" in which two Hezbollah operatives were killed, and that it "regrets any harm caused to journalists." It added that the incident was under internal review but did not answer follow-up questions from the BBC regarding the purpose of the second and third strikes.
Both HRW and Amnesty asserted that the evidence demonstrated Israeli forces "knew or should have known" that the women were civilians. Deliberate attacks on civilians are prohibited under international humanitarian law.
Heba Morayef, Amnesty's Middle East director, stated, "There can be no justification for targeting civilians who sought shelter in search of safety." Kaiss added, "Israeli forces' continued killing of journalists shows a brazen willingness to commit atrocities without any fear of consequences."
The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 27 journalists and media workers have been killed this year, including nine in Lebanon and seven in Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza.