Israeli strike on journalists sparks calls for 'war crime' probe
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Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch independent investigations align with AFP's.
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The funeral of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed on October 13, 2023, in an Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon, took place on October 14, 2023, in al-Khiam, Lebanon. (AFP)
Human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for a war crime investigation into the Israeli strike on journalists in Lebanon, which resulted in the killing of Reuters photographer Issam Abdallah and injuries to six others on October 13.
The injured journalists included two from Reuters, two from Al-Jazeera, and two from AFP, with AFP photographer Christina Assi, 28, suffering severe injuries, which led to her undergoing a leg amputation, and she remains hospitalized.
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch independently conducted investigations, aligning with an earlier AFP inquiry, and concluded that the initial strike, causing Abdallah's killing and Assi's injuries, was by a tank shell fired by "Israel".
Amnesty said the strikes "were likely a direct attack on civilians that must be investigated as a war crime."
"Those responsible for Issam Abdallah's unlawful killing and the injuring of six other journalists must be held accountable," said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, as quoted by AFP.
"No journalist should ever be targeted or killed simply for carrying out their work. Israel must not be allowed to kill and attack journalists with impunity," Majzoub added.
HRW said the two Israeli strikes "were deliberate attacks on civilians, which is a war crime."
Under international humanitarian law, "it is forbidden in any circumstances to carry out direct attacks against civilians," it said.
The group's inquiry revealed that the journalists were "far away from ongoing hostilities, easily recognizable as media personnel, and had been stationary for a minimum of 75 minutes before the attack occurred."
In the same context, Amnesty International asserted that verified images demonstrated that the seven journalists were wearing press-labeled body armor, and the blue Reuters crew car was marked with 'TV' and yellow tape on its hood.
"The evidence strongly indicates that Israeli forces were aware or should have been aware that the group they targeted were journalists," stated Ramzi Kaiss, HRW's Lebanon researcher. He characterized the incident as an unlawful and seemingly intentional attack on a highly visible group of journalists.
'Israel' behind October strike on journalists in Lebanon: AFP probe
The aforementioned update comes shortly after Agence France-Presse, in collaboration with the NGO Airwars, investigated the strike in southern Lebanon on October 13.
The inquiry suggested that the attack involved a 120-mm tank shell exclusive to the Israeli army in the border region.
No other military group or organization in the region uses this type of munition, the analysts said.
The strikes are believed to have originated from the southeast near the Israeli settlement of "Jordeikh", where Israeli tanks were present.
The deliberate and targeted nature of the attack is inferred from the strikes' characteristics and the absence of military activity near the journalists. The investigation relied on evidence such as expert analysis of a munitions fragment, satellite imagery, witness accounts, and video recordings captured before and during the incident.
Not an isolated incident
The occupation forces have targeted numerous correspondents and journalists in both Gaza and Lebanon during the ongoing Israeli aggression on the two fronts.
In late November, an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon led to the martyrdom of Al Mayadeen's reporter Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Me'mari, along with freelancer Hussein Akil.
Targeting journalists and civilians has become a standard within the doctrine of the Israeli occupation forces. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate announced on December 1 that the number of media personnel and journalists martyred due to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has risen to 67.
