On 22 April 2026, 42-year-old Amal Khalil, a journalist for al-Akhbar, and Zeinab Faraj, a 21-year-old freelance photojournalist, were in the village of al-Tiri in southern Lebanon. An Israeli strike killed Khalil and seriously injured Faraj. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Legal Agenda have said the attack was deliberate. They stated it meets the legal definition of a war crime. Their investigation found that Israel knowingly targeted the two civilian journalists. They also found Israel obstructed rescue efforts for several hours. According to Human Rights Watch, Israeli forces fired a stun grenade, forcing Lebanese Red Cross personnel to retreat before rescuing or treating Khalil. The rights group cited witness statements and photos indicating that a Lebanese Red Crescent ambulance responding to the scene appears to have been hit by 'small arms fire'.
The attack and its aftermath
Khalil and Faraj had driven to al-Tiri to verify claims that Israeli troops had vacated the area. They followed a car carrying Ali Nabil Bazzi, a municipal official, and Mohammed Hourani, a friend of Bazzi. At 2.25 pm, an Israeli strike killed the two men. Khalil immediately contacted Lebanese civil defense to request help, but rescuers were stopped at a military checkpoint until Israeli authorities approved their entry into the village.
Israeli drones flew dangerously low over their location. Faraj described the aircraft as coming within less than a meter of their faces. At 3.31 pm, a Lebanese civil defense officer called Khalil. He urged her to return to her vehicle. He told her to leave the village immediately. No authorization had been granted for rescuers to enter.
Minutes later, Israel launched a strike on their car. Both women suffered severe injuries. Faraj said that glass and debris rained down on them. She said Khalil was bleeding heavily from the nose and head. Khalil had shrapnel wounds in her arm and thigh. Unable to move her leg, Khalil was in critical condition. The pair crawled into a nearby building for shelter. They were buried under rubble when another Israeli strike hit at 4.25 pm.
Lebanese Red Cross workers were unable to reach the women until 5 pm, when they finally received permission to enter the village. Faraj was rescued with serious injuries including a fractured skull, damage to her right leg and eye, and a crushed hand. Khalil, however, likely died of her injuries while being buried under the debris.
Denials and demands
Israel has denied targeting journalists, stating it 'regrets any harm caused' but claims the strike was part of an operation against two Hezbollah military operatives. The first strike killed the two men, and about two hours later, a second strike hit the location where the journalists were sheltering. The timing and location raise questions about whether the strike was pre-planned, despite Israel's claim that it was a targeted military operation. Amnesty said the Israeli army told it that 'the incident underwent a preliminary review and relevant lessons were implemented accordingly', adding that it 'regrets any harm caused to journalists'.
Amnesty International stated that even though Israel designates certain areas as 'military zones' and restricts civilian access, it still has an obligation to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. The delay in authorizing rescue teams and the reported use of stun grenades on Red Cross workers further highlight a lack of concern for civilian lives.
Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher for Human Rights Watch, said: 'The evidence is clear that the Israeli military knew, or should have, that Faraj and Khalil were civilians. They attacked them anyway, and then prevented paramedics from rescuing them for hours.'
The rights groups are urging for international investigation into the incident, with HRW calling for states to suspend arms sales to Israel and impose targeted sanctions on officials responsible for ongoing crimes. The UN human rights office has recorded at least 15 journalists killed in Lebanon and 210 in Gaza since 2023, underscoring the growing concern over the safety of media workers in conflict zones. In 2025, Israel was responsible for more than two-thirds of journalists killed globally – 84 out of 129 – according to cases tracked by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Israel was also overwhelmingly responsible that year for targeted killings, which the CPJ classifies as 'murder', carrying out 38 of 47 crimes recorded by the organisation.
A life in pursuit of truth
Amal Khalil was a seasoned journalist who had been reporting on the war in Lebanon for three years. Zeinab Faraj, a young and emerging photojournalist, had already shown a deep commitment to documenting the conflict. Faraj described the terrifying experience of Israeli drones flying so close that they nearly touched her and Khalil's faces.
After the second strike, Faraj said: 'Glass and debris flew towards us. She was bleeding heavily from the nose and head and had shrapnel wounds in her arm and thigh; she couldn’t move her leg.' Faraj was eventually rescued, but Khalil's lifeless body remained buried under the rubble, a testament to the risks taken by those who choose to report the truth in war zones.
The tragic incident in al-Tiri has added to the long list of journalists killed or injured during the ongoing conflict. It also highlights the international legal responsibilities that military forces have under international law. The incident underscores the need for better protections for media workers and for accountability for those who violate such protections.