Human Rights Watch Labels Killing of Journalist Amal Khalil a War Crime

Independent Investigations Detail the Fatal Strikes in Al-Tiri

The rights groups presented their findings alongside the local advocacy organization Legal Agenda and the Union of Journalists in Lebanon during a news conference in Beirut. According to the reconstruction of events, the 42-year-old Khalil and 21-year-old Faraj were on assignment for the pro-Hezbollah Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, covering ongoing hostilities near the border.

The initial missile strike hit a vehicle traveling directly in front of the two journalists at approximately 14:30 local time. That strike killed two men instantly: Ali Bazzi, identified by relatives as a Hezbollah-backed local mayor, and Mohammed al-Hourani. The explosion forced Khalil and Faraj to abandon their own car and seek shelter near a neighboring building while an Israeli surveillance drone hovered overhead.

Refuge, Subsequent Missiles, and Delayed Rescue Efforts

As the journalists hunkered down, a second strike between 15:21 and 15:42 hit their parked car and injured Khalil. The two women then forced open the metal shutter of a nearby shop to take cover inside. Throughout the ordeal, Israeli quadcopter drones monitored them closely.

View this post on Instagram about human rights labels killing, Zeinab Faraj

“The drones got extremely close, coming through the broken roof. Less than a meter away. I was covering my face, thinking of a video I had seen where a drone killed someone like that. I thought it would explode in my face. The drones didn’t carry visible explosives, but they were hovering and provoking fear constantly.”

Zeinab Faraj, surviving freelance camera operator, via BBC

At 15:00, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, transmitted a request from the Lebanese Red Cross to the Israeli military for safe passage to rescue the trapped women. However, a third missile struck the shelter at approximately 16:25, throwing Faraj out of the building while leaving Khalil trapped inside with severe injuries to her head, nose, shoulder, and leg.

When a Lebanese Civil Defence and Red Cross team finally entered al-Tiri after 17:00, paramedics came under fire from a drone-delivered stun grenade and were forced to retreat without Khalil. Medical records from Tebnin Governmental Hospital indicated that Khalil was still alive when rescue workers were driven away at around 17:53, but she suffered cardiac arrest and died around 19:00 from severe bleeding caused by a head wound. Her body was not recovered from the rubble until roughly 23:00.

Military Justification Versus International Legal Findings

The Israel Defense Forces maintained that the strikes were part of a series of events aimed at Hezbollah military operatives, denying any intention to target press personnel. In a statement provided to The Washington Post, the military stated that the incident remained under internal review while emphasizing that it regrets any harm caused to journalists.

“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.”

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, via MSN

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International concluded that because surveillance drones were operating overhead throughout the afternoon, Israeli forces knew or should have known that the initial targets were already dead and that the remaining individuals were civilians seeking shelter.

Calls for Accountability Amid Escalating Regional Toll

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the killings as an established approach rather than an isolated incident. Alongside the legal push, international rights organizations urged the United States and European nations to suspend military aid to Israel and implement sanctions on officials connected to ongoing abuses.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 27 media workers have been killed globally in 2026, with nine of those deaths occurring in Lebanon.