On Thursday, three human rights organizations declared that the Israeli airstrike that resulted in the death of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and injured her colleague Zeinab Faraj in April constituted a war crime.
Investigations conducted by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, and Legal Agenda revealed that Israel intentionally targeted Khalil and Faraj, fully aware that they were civilians. The organizations have called for an investigation into these attacks as war crimes and urged nations to suspend arms sales to Israel while imposing targeted sanctions on Israeli officials implicated in ongoing violations.
Attacks intentionally directed at civilians, including journalists, are classified as war crimes under international law. According to the United Nations human rights office, Israel has reportedly killed at least 15 journalists in Lebanon and a total of 210 in Gaza since the beginning of 2023.
Further findings suggested that Israel obstructed Lebanese ambulances from reaching Khalil and Faraj for an extended period, at one point dropping stun grenades on Lebanese Red Cross personnel and firing at their ambulances.
The delay in medical assistance may have contributed to Khalil’s death, as hospital records indicate she could have still been alive hours following the airstrike that demolished a building where she and Faraj were located.
Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated, “The evidence clearly indicates that the Israeli military either knew or should have known that Khalil and Faraj were civilians, yet chose to attack them nonetheless, subsequently preventing paramedics from reaching them for hours.”
In response, Israel expressed regret for any harm caused to journalists, asserting that the fatalities occurred amid a sequence of events that resulted in the deaths of two Hezbollah operatives. There was a two-hour interval between the initial strike that killed the individuals Israel identified as Hezbollah members and a subsequent attack on the building where the journalists sought shelter.
Amal Khalil, a 42-year-old journalist for al-Akhbar, and Zeinab Faraj, a 21-year-old freelance camerawoman and photojournalist, had been actively covering the conflict in Lebanon for the past three years.
On April 22, 2026, the two professionals traveled to the village of al-Tiri in southern Lebanon to confirm reports of Israeli troop withdrawal from the area. They followed a vehicle carrying Ali Nabil Bazzi, a municipal official from Bint Jbeil, and his friend Mohammed Hourani.
Although Israel designates al-Tiri as a military zone occupied by its forces, Amnesty International emphasized the obligation to differentiate between civilians and combatants under international law.
At 2:25 PM, upon their arrival in al-Tiri, the vehicle transporting Bazzi and Hourani was struck, resulting in their deaths. Khalil subsequently contacted the Lebanese civil defense for assistance.
The civil defense team reached the village’s entrance but was halted at a military checkpoint, awaiting authorization from the Israeli military to safely enter.
Rescue operations in active combat zones or areas under Israeli military control require coordination with a deconfliction mechanism, necessitating approval from the Israeli military for civil defense to gain safe passage.
By 5 PM, a United Nations peacekeeping force had established a safe route for the civil defense, yet Israel had not yet provided the necessary approval.
While awaiting help, Khalil and Faraj exited their vehicle in search of safer shelter. Faraj reported that Israeli drones loomed dangerously close overhead during this time.
At 3:31 PM, a civil defense member advised Khalil to leave the village as they had not received the necessary clearance. Shortly thereafter, Israel struck the journalists’ vehicle, injuring both women.
“Glass and debris flew towards us. My ear felt like it burst. Amal was bleeding heavily from her head and nose and had shrapnel wounds in her arm and thigh; she was unable to move her leg,” Faraj recounted.
The two women managed to crawl into a nearby building for cover. Despite continuing to call for assistance, they were informed that they could not be rescued without prior authorization.
At 4:25 PM, a third attack targeted the building where they sought refuge, collapsing it and trapping both women beneath the rubble.
At 5 PM, the Lebanese Red Cross was granted permission to enter the village and successfully evacuated Faraj, who sustained severe injuries, including a fractured skull and serious damage to her leg and eye. Unfortunately, Khalil remained trapped under the debris.
During the rescue operation, the rescuers faced an attack from an Israeli drone, which dropped a stun grenade nearby. Witnesses reported hearing gunfire throughout the evacuation, and HRW reviewed images showing bullet holes in ambulances consistent with small arms fire.
Due to the ongoing danger, the rescuers had to retreat without retrieving Khalil. The Israeli military ultimately authorized rescue crews to re-enter the village at 8:15 PM, and Khalil’s body was recovered at 11 PM. An autopsy at a nearby hospital suggested she likely died around 7 PM, approximately two-and-a-half hours after the last strike, while she remained trapped and unable to receive aid due to Israeli military restrictions.
All three organizations have called for accountability regarding Khalil’s death, highlighting it as part of a troubling trend of impunity exhibited by the Israeli military towards civilians.
The lack of accountability for the killings of journalists and other civilians in Lebanon over the past three years has fostered an environment of impunity for Israeli forces, the organizations emphasized.
