Amal Khalil, a veteran correspondent for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, in the southern Lebanese border village of Jebbayn in 2024
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The Israeli military’s April 22, 2026 attacks in Lebanon that killed one journalist and severely injured another included apparently deliberate attacks on civilians which would make them war crimes.Israeli forces’ continued killing of journalists shows a brazen willingness to commit atrocities without any fear of consequences.The Lebanese government should accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and submit a declaration accepting the court’s jurisdiction including since at least October 7, 2023. Other countries should press for accountability and use their leverage over Israeli authorities to prevent more crimes.
(Beirut) – The Israeli military’s April 22, 2026 attacks in Lebanon that killed one journalist and severely injured another included apparently deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, which would make them war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today.
The attacks on the southern town of al-Tiri killed Amal Khalil, who was reporting on hostilities in southern Lebanon for the Lebanese daily news outlet al-Akhbar, and severely wounded Zainab Faraj, a Lebanese freelance journalist, working as her camera operator.
“The Israeli military says it does not target journalists, but the facts and evidence show that it has repeatedly done so. Amal Khalil and Zainab Faraj are the latest victims in a long series of such attacks,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Israeli forces’ continued killing of journalists shows a brazen willingness to commit atrocities without any fear of consequences.”
Photo and video evidence reviewed by Human Rights Watch, witness statements, and a deconfliction request to access the site by the Lebanese Red Cross to the Is
