On a spring afternoon in southern Lebanon, journalist Amal Khalil and camera operator Zeinab Faraj sought shelter from Israeli strikes — only to become, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the apparent targets of a war crime. Over three hours, a sequence of missile and drone strikes killed Khalil and seriously wounded Faraj, even as UN peacekeepers relayed Red Cross rescue requests to Israeli forces. The case joins a widening record of journalist deaths in 2026, and forces a reckoning with the question that haunts every conflict: who is accountable when the press becomes
Rights groups call Israeli strike that killed Lebanese journalist an apparent war crime
Journalist Amal Khalil killed; freelance camera operator Zeinab Faraj seriously wounded; two other men killed in initial strike.
The drones got extremely close, coming through the broken roof.
Mark
Why would the Israeli military continue striking after the Red Cross made contact? What tactical purpose does that serve?
Mimi
That's the central question the rights groups are raising. Once the Red Cross requested access at 3 p.m., the military had explicit notice that civilians were in the area seeking rescue. The second and third strikes came after that notification. The military hasn't explained why those strikes were necessary.
Mark
Could they have genuinely believed Hezbollah operatives were still in that building?
Mimi
Possibly. But the evidence suggests otherwise. The drones were monitoring the women continuously—close enough that Faraj could see them through the broken roof. If the operators could see two women sheltering there, they could see that civilians occupied the space. The hospital records also matter: Khalil was alive when paramedics withdrew. She died an hour later from injuries sustained in the strikes.
Mark
So the argument is that the strikes themselves, not the initial incident, killed her?
Mimi
The evidence points that way. The first strike killed two men nearby. But the second and third strikes targeted the journalists' car and then the building where they'd taken shelter—after the Red Cross had already asked for access. That sequence is what the rights groups say constitutes targeting.
Mark
What does Faraj say about her experience?
Mimi
She describes the drones as deliberately intimidating—hovering close, provoking fear. She thought they might explode. But they didn't carry visible explosives. They were surveillance and psychological pressure. Then when rescue came, a drone-delivered stun grenade forced the paramedics to retreat. It's a pattern of control and prevention of escape.
Mark
Has Israel responded to these specific allegations?
Mimi
Only with a general statement that it regrets harm to journalists and that the incident is under internal review. They haven't addressed why the second and third strikes were necessary, or why rescue efforts were obstructed. That silence is part of what the rights groups are flagging—the lack of accountability or explanation.
Mark
What happens now?
Mimi
The rights groups are calling for an independent investigation and for Lebanon to accept ICC jurisdiction. But enforcement is uncertain. The pattern they're documenting—27 journalists killed globally this year—suggests that without external pressure, these incidents continue without consequence.
The Pulse
- Two journalists documenting strikes in al-Tiri found themselves trapped after a first missile killed two men ahead of them, forcing them to abandon their vehicle and call for rescue.
- Over three hours, a second strike hit their parked car and a third destroyed the building where they had taken shelter — all while Israeli drones hovered within a meter of where Faraj was hiding.
- A Lebanese Red Cross team was turned back by a drone-delivered stun grenade as paramedics attempted to reach Khalil, who hospital records suggest was still alive when rescuers were forced to retreat.
- Israel denies journalists were targeted, calling the strikes aimed at Hezbollah operatives, but has not explained the purpose of the second and third strikes and says the incident remains under internal review.
- Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, citing photo evidence, witness testimony, and Red Cross communications, concluded Israeli forces knew or should have known the women were civilians — and are now calling for ICC jurisdiction and an independent investigation.
- With 27 journalists killed globally in 2026 and nine in Lebanon alone, Khalil's death sharpens a persistent question: whether strikes in conflict zones are eliminating witnesses as much as combatants.
On a spring afternoon in southern Lebanon, journalist Amal Khalil and camera operator Zeinab Faraj sought shelter from Israeli strikes — only to become, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the apparent targets of a war crime. Over three hours, a sequence of missile and drone strikes killed Khalil and seriously wounded Faraj, even as UN peacekeepers relayed Red Cross rescue requests to Israeli forces. The case joins a widening record of journalist deaths in 2026, and forces a reckoning with the question that haunts every conflict: who is accountable when the press becomes the target.
On the afternoon of April 22nd, in the southern Lebanese town of al-Tiri, reporter Amal Khalil and freelance camera operator Zeinab Faraj were documenting events when Israeli strikes began. A first missile struck a car ahead of them, killing two men they knew. The blast forced the women to abandon their vehicle and take shelter near a neighboring building, where they called for help. By 3 p.m., UN peacekeepers had relayed a Lebanese Red Cross rescue request to the Israeli military.
What followed over the next three hours has since been characterized by two major rights organizations as an apparent war crime. A second strike hit the journalists' parked car, injuring Khalil. Israeli quadcopter drones circled overhead — at one point coming within a meter of Faraj's hiding place. "I was covering my face, thinking of a video I had seen where a drone killed someone like that," she later told Amnesty International. At around 4:25 p.m., a third strike destroyed the building entirely.
A Red Cross team entered the town after 5 p.m., but paramedics attempting to reach Khalil came under fire from a drone-delivered stun grenade and were forced to withdraw. Hospital records indicate Khalil was likely still alive at that moment. She died approximately an hour later from cardiac arrest complicated by a severe head injury. Her body was recovered near midnight.
Israel told the BBC the strikes targeted two Hezbollah operatives and that it regrets harm to journalists, but did not address the purpose of the second and third strikes. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, reviewing evidence from multiple sources, concluded Israeli forces knew or should have known the women were civilians seeking safety. Researcher Ramzi Kaiss of HRW described the incident as part of a repeated pattern, while Amnesty's Heba Morayef called for ICC jurisdiction and an independent investigation.
Khalil's death is one of nine journalist fatalities in Lebanon in 2026, part of a global toll of 27 media workers killed this year. The evidence that she may have survived long enough to be rescued — had rescuers not been driven back — leaves a question that accountability mechanisms have so far struggled to answer.
On the afternoon of April 22nd, in the southern Lebanese town of al-Tiri, two journalists were reporting when Israeli military strikes began. Amal Khalil, a reporter for al-Akhbar newspaper, and Zeinab Faraj, a freelance camera operator, were in the area documenting events when the first missile hit a car driving ahead of them, killing two men they knew—Ali Bazzi and Mohammed al-Hourani. The blast forced the women to abandon their vehicle and take shelter near a neighboring building. They called for help. At 3 p.m., the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon relayed a request from the Lebanese Red Cross to the Israeli military, asking permission to access the site and rescue them.
What followed over the next three hours was a sequence of strikes that Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have now concluded constitutes an apparent war crime. A second missile struck the journalists' parked car between 3:21 and 3:42 p.m., injuring Khalil. She and Faraj moved into the building for shelter. Israeli quadcopter drones hovered overhead throughout, some coming within a meter of where Faraj was hiding. "The drones got extremely close, coming through the broken roof," Faraj later told Amnesty. "Less than a meter away. I was covering my face, thinking of a video I had seen where a drone killed someone like that." At approximately 4:25 p.m., a third strike destroyed the building entirely. Phone records showed Khalil remained in contact with first responders and family members as the attacks continued.
A Lebanese Red Cross team finally entered the town after 5 p.m., but when paramedics began attempting to rescue Khalil, they came under fire from a drone-delivered stun grenade and were forced to retreat. Photographs showed damage to the Red Cross ambulance consistent with small-arms fire. Hospital records later indicated that Khalil was likely still alive when the paramedics withdrew around 5:53 p.m. She died approximately an hour later from cardiac arrest, complicated by a severe head injury. Her body was recovered by rescue workers near midnight.
The Israeli military has denied that journalists were the intended targets. In a statement to the BBC, the military said the three strikes were aimed at two operatives of Hezbollah, and that it "regrets any harm caused to journalists." The military did not answer follow-up questions about the purpose of the second and third strikes, and said the incident was under internal review. But both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, after reviewing photo and video evidence, witness testimony from Faraj and first responders, media reports, and communications from the Lebanese Red Cross, concluded that Israeli forces "knew or should have known" the women were civilians seeking safety.
Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that the evidence demonstrates a pattern: "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." Both rights groups have called for an independent investigation and for Lebanon to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Heba Morayef, Amnesty's Middle East director, emphasized the legal principle at stake: "There can be no justification for targeting civilians who sought shelter in search of safety."
The killing of Khalil is part of a broader toll on journalists in 2026. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 27 journalists and media workers have been killed globally this year—nine in Lebanon alone, and seven across Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza. The incident underscores a persistent accountability gap: journalists continue to be killed in conflict zones, yet those responsible often face no consequences. Khalil's death, and the evidence that she may have survived long enough to be rescued, raises questions about whether the strikes were aimed at eliminating witnesses as much as targeting combatants.
Notable Quotes
The Israeli military says it does not target journalists, but the facts and evidence show that it has repeatedly done so.— Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher, Human Rights Watch
There can be no justification for targeting civilians who sought shelter in search of safety.— Heba Morayef, Middle East director, Amnesty International
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