Key facts
- Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International concluded an Israeli strike killing Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was an apparent war crime.
- The organizations stated that journalists Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj were targeted while reporting in al-Tiri on April 22.
- Evidence suggests Israeli forces knew or should have known the women were civilians.
- Israeli forces allegedly obstructed rescue efforts by the Lebanese Red Cross, potentially contributing to Khalil's death.
- The Israeli military denied targeting journalists and stated strikes were aimed at Hezbollah operatives.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have declared that an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon on April 22, which killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and seriously wounded freelance camera operator Zeinab Faraj, was an apparent war crime. The two rights groups concluded that the journalists were targeted while reporting in the town of al-Tiri.
Both organizations called for an independent investigation into the attack and urged Lebanon to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. They stated that evidence showed Israeli forces "knew or should have known" that the women were civilians, and that deliberate attacks on civilians are prohibited under international humanitarian law.
The Israeli military denied targeting the journalists, asserting that the strikes were aimed at two Hezbollah operatives. However, HRW researcher Ramzi Kaiss stated that "the facts and evidence show that it has repeatedly" targeted journalists. Amnesty's Middle East director, Heba Morayef, added that "there can be no justification for targeting civilians who sought shelter in search of safety."
The reports detailed how Israeli quadcopter drones allegedly monitored Khalil and Faraj, and how subsequent Israeli strikes hit their vehicle and a nearby building where they sought refuge. The groups also reported that Israeli forces allegedly obstructed rescue efforts by the Lebanese Red Cross, including firing on ambulances and dropping stun grenades, which may have contributed to Khalil's death. Hospital records suggest she might have been alive for hours after the initial strike, eventually dying around 7 p.m. local time.