Rights groups say Israeli attack that killed Lebanese journalist an apparent war crime

What the report says

Two human rights groups, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, say an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon that killed reporter Amal Khalil and wounded freelance camera operator Zeinab Faraj in April was an apparent war crime. Their separate findings said the two women were reporting in the town of al-Tiri on 22 April when they came under repeated fire, and that the evidence indicated they were civilians who were known, or should have been known, to be journalists.

According to the BBC’s report from Beirut, the groups reviewed photo and video material, witness accounts, first responder testimony and other records to reconstruct the strike sequence. They said the attack began with a vehicle strike that killed two men near the journalists, followed by additional strikes on the journalists’ car and the building where they sheltered. The groups also said rescue workers were later prevented from reaching the site safely, and that Khalil may have remained alive for several hours before dying of her injuries.

Israel denied deliberately targeting the journalists, telling the BBC that its strikes were aimed at Hezbollah operatives. The military said the incident was under internal review and expressed regret for harm to journalists. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty called for an independent investigation and urged Lebanon to accept International Criminal Court jurisdiction, arguing that attacks on civilians are prohibited under international humanitarian law.

The case has added to wider concern about risks facing journalists in the Israel-Lebanon conflict. The Committee to Protect Journalists says dozens of journalists and media workers have been killed this year across Lebanon, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza.