Amnesty Calls for War Crimes Probe Into Killing of Journalist Amal Khalil

On April 22, 42-year-old Al-Akhbar correspondent Amal Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were reporting in southern Lebanon when an Israeli drone struck a civilian vehicle ahead of them. A second strike disabled their own car, forcing the women to seek shelter in a nearby building. Amnesty International reports that drones hovered over the structure for two hours before it was bombed. When the Lebanese Red Cross arrived to retrieve the survivors, they were forced to withdraw due to threats of further fire. Khalil later died from her injuries, while Faraj suffered severe trauma, including a fractured skull and crushed hand.

Accountability and Legal Standing

The Israeli military maintains that it does not target journalists and claims the area was a designated no-return zone used by Hezbollah militants. However, human rights organizations argue the evidence suggests a systemic disregard for international humanitarian law. Heba Morayef, regional director for Amnesty, stated that the military knew or should have known civilians were sheltering in the building, rendering the attack a potential war crime. With the Committee to Protect Journalists reporting that Israel accounted for two-thirds of all journalist deaths globally in 2025, advocates insist that the lack of transparent investigations into such incidents reinforces a dangerous climate of impunity.