Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Lebanon’s Legal Agenda accused Israel on Thursday, August 6, 2026, of apparently deliberately attacking Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and obstructing rescuers after she was critically wounded in southern Lebanon on April 22. Khalil died in al-Tiri; photojournalist Zainab Faraj survived with serious injuries.
The groups said their separate investigations found evidence that Israeli forces knew or should have known the women were civilians and journalists. Israel denied intentionally targeting journalists and said its preliminary inquiry concerned strikes aimed at Hezbollah members.
At a glance:
- Amal Khalil, a veteran reporter for Lebanon’s al-Akhbar newspaper, was killed in al-Tiri on April 22.
- Zainab Faraj, who was working with Khalil, was seriously injured and later rescued.
- The rights groups said drones were monitoring the area and that warnings about the journalists’ presence had been relayed through Lebanese authorities and UNIFIL.
- Israel said the strikes were part of operations against Hezbollah members and that its investigation would be reviewed by its legal branch.
What the investigations found
The groups reconstructed a sequence of strikes after Khalil and Faraj abandoned their vehicle following an earlier attack nearby. A later strike hit the building where they had taken shelter in al-Tiri, according to witness testimony, photographs, satellite imagery and other material reviewed by investigators.
Human Rights Watch said the strikes included apparently deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, which would make them war crimes. Amnesty described the incident as a direct attack on civilians that should be investigated as a war crime. The Legal Agenda said the conduct amounted to war crimes and grave violations of international humanitarian law.
Why the rescue operation matters
The rights groups said Lebanese authorities and UNIFIL repeatedly sought access for medical workers. Human Rights Watch reported that a stun grenade forced Lebanese Red Cross personnel to retreat and that an ambulance appeared to have been struck by small-arms fire.
Faraj was eventually evacuated, but Khalil remained trapped under rubble. Human Rights Watch said she was likely alive when rescuers were first forced away; an autopsy cited in reporting found that she later died from head trauma and severe bleeding. The sequence has raised separate concerns about the obligation to allow and facilitate medical assistance to the wounded.
Israel’s response and what happens next
The Israeli military said the initial strikes targeted a vehicle that had left a military structure used by Hezbollah and that the building was later struck after individuals fled there. In a response to Amnesty, the army said the incident had undergone a preliminary review and that relevant lessons had been implemented, while expressing regret for harm caused to journalists.
The military’s preliminary inquiry, reported by The Associated Press, concluded that Khalil was killed during a series of strikes aimed at Hezbollah members. Israel has denied preventing rescue teams from reaching the area and has repeatedly denied intentionally targeting journalists. The rights groups are calling for an independent investigation, accountability measures and action to address what they describe as continuing impunity.
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