On April 22, 2026, Al-Akhbar journalist Amal Khalil was killed, and photojournalist Zeinab Faraj was injured in an Israeli attack in the town of Al-Tiri, southern Lebanon, five days after the US administration announced a temporary truce between Lebanon and Israel. The Israeli military claimed to have targeted "terrorists" and insisted it does not target journalists. So, what happened that day? Was Amal collateral damage in military operations, or was she deliberately targeted and killed?
We investigated the incident based on Zeinab Faraj's testimony and other accounts, cross-referencing them with photos, videos, and communication logs. We reconstructed the events of 12 hours that day, from when Amal began her journalistic coverage in southern Lebanon until her body was recovered from under the rubble of a building in Al-Tiri. We found sufficient evidence indicating that the Israeli military intentionally killed Amal, aware of her civilian and journalistic status. This led us to classify her killing as an assassination and a war crime warranting investigation for accountability.
The Legal Agenda produced this investigation as part of documenting potential Israeli war crimes on Lebanese territory, in partnership with the Syndicate of Journalists in Lebanon.
The investigation relied on open-source visual content analysis, direct testimonies, and exclusive visual materials, including previously unpublished photos and videos collected specifically for this investigation. The work was carried out under the supervision of the Nawa Media Lab, utilizing its expertise and resources in analyzing and verifying digital and visual materials.
The investigation found that Amal's killing was not collateral damage from an isolated military action or rapidly unfolding military operations, but rather the result of a series of three successive attacks that occurred over approximately two hours. During that time, the Israeli military was continuously monitoring field events via drones and was aware of the presence of two journalists at the site.
Amal was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a three-story building, leveling it to the ground in the town of Al-Tiri, Bint Jbeil district, where she and Zeinab had sought refuge. Their presence in the building was not a choice; it followed two successive attacks on their vehicle and an accompanying vehicle while they were on a journalistic mission covering the Israeli army's destruction of southern villages.
The first attack was carried out by a drone targeting the accompanying vehicle, resulting in the killing of Bint Jbeil's Mokhtar (local official), Ali Bazzi, and an accompanying young man, Mohammad Al-Hourani. After Amal and Zeinab exited their vehicle, the second attack targeted their car, prompting them to seek shelter inside an adjacent building.
The three attacks occurred within two hours and were accompanied by the Israeli military's siege of the journalists via drones, obstructing rescue teams from reaching the attack site despite being notified of a request to evacuate journalistic casualties. The Israeli military delayed granting approval for the request for nearly an hour and 45 minutes, and the rescue team was forced to withdraw from the site under threat after rescuing Zeinab from under the building's rubble. The team was unable to rescue Amal, whose heart stopped approximately an hour after their withdrawal, according to a medical report.
Ambulance teams were forced to wait again for nearly an hour and 40 minutes to obtain Israeli approval before returning to the attack site and recovering Amal's body from under the rubble. Testimonies from several individuals monitoring the field events that day expressed their impression that the Israeli military "wanted to kill Amal."
The Israeli military acknowledged in a statement that it had attacked one of the vehicles and the building. It justified its attack by claiming its forces spotted "two vehicles exiting a military building used by Hezbollah," alleging that "terrorists" crossed "towards the forward defense line and approached the forces in a manner posing an immediate threat." It also claimed that it "does not prevent rescue teams from reaching the area" and "does not target journalists in any way." It later justified the strike by claiming it targeted the escorts, Bazzi and Al-Hourani.
This investigation attempts to reconstruct the crime, elucidate its context, and evaluate and refute the Israeli narrative using available facts and evidence. It concludes that the available evidence points to the deliberate killing of Amal through the targeting of the two journalists and the obstruction of their rescue, with full knowledge of their civilian and journalistic status. This constitutes war crimes and grave breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL), which prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian objects, the obstruction of relief teams, and the willful killing of persons protected under the Geneva Conventions.
With the assassination of Amal, Lebanon lost an exceptional field reporter known by the people of the south, whom she knew well. A reporter who entered their villages and homes, conveying their collective and individual stories, becoming part of their social fabric and living memory. This made her killing an integral part of the Israeli approach to erasing the south—its land, people, homes, and heritage. Amal had also become a primary source for documenting news from the south and Israeli violations, serving as a reference for journalists, researchers, and observers. This made her assassination part of the Israeli strategy to obscure facts by killing journalists who bear witness to its crimes.
Part I: Reconstructing the Crime
In her testimony, Zeinab Faraj recounted that she and Amal headed on a journalistic mission on Wednesday, April 22, to the town of Al-Tiri, overlooking the city of Bint Jbeil, to film the demolition and bulldozing operations being carried out by the Israeli military in the city. The day prior, Amal had filmed similar operations in Beit Lif, Bint Jbeil district, from the overlooking town of Yater, and published a journalistic report on the matter.
This section reconstructs Amal and Zeinab's journey from Sidon to Al-Tiri (1), the three Israeli attacks in Al-Tiri (2), and the rescue operations involving Amal and Zeinab (3).
1. Amal and Zeinab's Journey from Sidon to Al-Tiri
We reconstructed the scenario of Amal's movements before her arrival in the town of Al-Tiri based on visual materials and testimonies we heard from Zeinab Faraj, the photojournalist accompanying her, as well as Al Mayadeen reporter Jamal Al-Gharbi and Lebanese Civil Defense paramedic Moussa Shaalan, both of whom Amal met that day and remained in contact with. It became clear that Amal and Zeinab set out from Sidon in the morning and stopped first in Ain Baal, Tyre district, where they filmed a funeral. They then headed to Qana, Tyre district, where they filmed a testimony with the son of a victim killed in an Israeli attack. From there, they proceeded to Tibnin Governmental Hospital in Tibnin, Bint Jbeil district, where they met the Mokhtar of Bint Jbeil, Ali Bazzi, and a young man, Mohammad Al-Hourani, who accompanied them from Tibnin to Al-Tiri, passing through Kounine.
Morning - 11:30
Ain Baal: Filming a Funeral
Zeinab Faraj states in her testimony to The Legal Agenda that she and Amal filmed the funeral of Hajja Khairiyeh Abdul-Hussein Baalbaki in Ain Baal, Tyre district. We cross-referenced Zeinab's testimony by searching for a funeral in the town on that day and found a post on the official Facebook account for the town of Ain Baal on April 21, containing an invitation to the funeral of the same woman in the town's cemetery on Wednesday, April 22, at 11:30 AM (local Lebanon time, which we will use throughout this investigation).
On April 22, the account published a video of the funeral showing the coffin bearing a photo of Hajja Khairiyeh. The Legal Agenda obtained a photo from a participant's phone showing Amal near the carried coffin bearing the same photo of Hajja Khairiyeh. She is seen holding a phone in one hand and a microphone in the other, which appears to feature a logo resembling that of Al-Akhbar newspaper, for which Amal worked.
Noon - 12:18 to 12:26
Qana: Coverage on the Main Road
It is evident from the testimonies of Zeinab Faraj and paramedic Moussa Shaalan, as well as the visual materials obtained by The Legal Agenda, that Amal and Zeinab passed through the town of Qana. There, Amal conducted an interview in an open area on the main road next to the "Martyr Deaibes Roastery" with the son of a victim killed in an Israeli attack on his home. The Legal Agenda obtained two video clips from Zeinab's sister, Wafiqa, which Zeinab had sent to the family WhatsApp group, one of them at 12:26 PM saying she is "now" in Qana.
One of the clips shows Amal in the foreground with Zeinab behind her (the edge of her hijab is visible), walking through the rubble of a building. In one shot, the storefront of a shop reads "Martyr Abbas Deaibes Roastery". Searching for this name on Facebook reveals that it is the "Al-Bustan Roastery," located in Qana, Main Road (Al-Kheshneh) Tyre, according to the roastery's Facebook account data.
Paramedic Moussa Shaalan appears clearly in one of the two video clips Zeinab sent to her family from Qana. The timing of the video aligns with the testimony of Moussa, who was in Qana at the time. He told The Legal Agenda that at 12:18 PM, according to his phone's data, Amal called him and informed him she was in Qana. They coordinated to conduct an interview with someone who lost his father during an Israeli attack, and she remained there for about an hour.
Afternoon - 13:50 to 13:56
Tibnin: Meeting Bazzi and Al-Hourani in front of the Governmental Hospital
From Qana, Zeinab and Amal moved to the town of Tibnin, where they met several journalists in the outer courtyard of Tibnin Governmental Hospital, according to testimonies heard by The Legal Agenda. The hospital serves as an arrival and media coverage point for journalists in the south, where bodies and injured members of rescue and civilian teams are brought.
According to the testimonies, Amal and Zeinab met the Mokhtar of Bint Jbeil, Ali Bazzi, at Tibnin Hospital. He was accompanied by his son Nabil and daughter Mona (aged between 13 and 15), as well as a young man named Mohammad Al-Hourani.
The Legal Agenda obtained a video clip recorded from a personal phone showing Amal and Zeinab in their car, a black Toyota Corolla, with Bazzi and Al-Hourani's car in front of them as they exited the town of Tibnin. According to the video's metadata, it was captured on April 22 at 13:56.
Road signs appear in the video, some pointing to the "Tibnin Institute" and others to the village of "Beit Yahoun" and the "Qaddouh Center." Upon reviewing several videos filmed in Tibnin on social media, we noticed identical landmarks in a clip posted on the "Multaqa Abnaa Tibnin" (Tibnin Locals Forum) Facebook page.
Reviewing the "Multaqa Abnaa Tibnin" video reveals that the location where Amal is seen is near a Phoenicia gas station, which is about 67 meters from Tibnin Governmental Hospital.
The timing of the video near Tibnin Hospital aligns with the testimony of journalist Jamal Al-Gharbi, who walked with Amal to her car in front of Tibnin Hospital before she headed to Al-Tiri. He stated in his testimony that he bid her farewell at approximately 13:50.
Zeinab states that Amal decided to head to the town of Al-Tiri to film the bulldozing operations in Bint Jbeil after learning of the Israeli military's withdrawal from the town. She adds that it was not planned for Mokhtar Bazzi and Al-Hourani to accompany them to Al-Tiri, but when they learned Amal was heading there, they tagged along, as they are from Bint Jbeil and often go to Al-Tiri, which overlooks their city. She noted that the Mokhtar left his two children in Tibnin, intending to pick them up upon his return from Al-Tiri.
Ali Nabil Bazzi is a Mokhtar in Bint Jbeil and a relative of Zeinab. He has three children (Nabil, Mona, and Nour, aged 15, 13, and 6, respectively) and owns a gas station in the city. Al-Hourani (27) was a personal trainer who worked at a sports club in Bint Jbeil before the war; he was scheduled to tie the knot on the very same day, according to his family.
Afternoon
Kounine: Filming on the Main Road
Zeinab recalled in her testimony that she, Amal, the Mokhtar, and Mohammad stopped on their way to Al-Tiri in the town of Kounine. They took some photos on the main road, and Amal filmed a "stand-up" piece on camera in Kounine in an open area. Zeinab says the place they stopped is known as "The Sharp Curve" in the town, opposite the Baraachit turnoff, and that they crossed from Kounine to Al-Tiri via a tree-lined shortcut without passing through the army checkpoint in Haddatha.
Through Google Earth, we found that the closest location matching Zeinab's description is the road connecting Kounine and Al-Tiri between coordinates 33.148365, 35.426571 and 33.142976, 35.410727.
2. The Three Attacks in Al-Tiri
The Israeli military launched three attacks in Al-Tiri while the two journalists were present. The first was a drone strike on the vehicle accompanying them, which led to the killing of Mokhtar Ali Bazzi and the young man Mohammad Al-Hourani. The second was a drone strike on Amal's car after they had dismounted from it. The third was a warplane airstrike on the building where they had sought shelter from the attacks.
Minimum 14:09 - 14:31
First Attack: The Accompanying Vehicle
Journalist Jamal Al-Gharbi says Amal called him at 14:31 to inform him of the attack on her accompanying vehicle and asked him to contact emergency services. Paramedic Moussa Shaalan says he also received a call from Amal at 14:36, telling him the same thing and also requesting an ambulance. The Legal Agenda reviewed the logs for these two calls, showing that each lasted 20 seconds.
The timing of the calls intersects with the timestamp of a screenshot from a video call Zeinab Faraj's sister, Wafiqa, had with her after the latter informed her that Bazzi and Al-Hourani's car had been hit by a strike; the timestamp indicates 14:35. The screenshot shows a burning car near Amal's car, a black Toyota Corolla, veered off the road.
Meanwhile, news websites and social media accounts began reporting news of a strike on a car carrying journalists in the town of Al-Tiri. Searching for the earliest reports, we found a post on the Bint Jbeil website's Telegram channel at 14:45 stating that the town had been subjected to artillery shelling. At 14:50, the channel noted "discrepancies in information regarding whether it was artillery shelling or a drone strike targeting a vehicle where some journalists and civilians were present, with several casualties reported."
Screenshots from the Bint Jbeil website's Telegram channel post.
Reports about the incident continued. At 14:58, the "Bint Jbeil" channel on Telegram stated again that "a media team survives the Israeli assault on the town of Al-Tiri, and according to information from the Bint Jbeil website, the team is waiting for the arrival of paramedics from the Lebanese Red Cross, as there are casualties among them, while an Israeli drone hovers in the airspace." This was followed by Al-Akhbar newspaper at 15:12, indicating the targeting of "a vehicle on the Al-Tiri road near the location of several journalists, including colleague Amal Khalil and her accompanying crew, and this assault did not result in any harm to the journalists."
To analyze the estimated time of Amal and Zeinab's arrival at the attack site, we started from their departure time from Tibnin Governmental Hospital, which was 13:56. We then measured the distance between Tibnin and Al-Tiri passing through Kounine on the route that most closely matched Zeinab's description, which is approximately 8.8 kilometers by car and usually takes 13 minutes, excluding the stop in Kounine.
Thus, the possible time for the first attack on the vehicle accompanying journalist Amal Khalil can be estimated between 14:09 (the minimum arrival time at Al-Tiri) and 14:31 (the time of Amal's first call to Jamal).
According to the testimonies of Zeinab Faraj, her sister Wafiqa, Moussa, Jamal, and Ali Khalil (Amal's brother), Zeinab and Amal were not harmed by this strike.
All of the above intersects with the content of a voice message Amal sent at 14:56 to her family's WhatsApp group. In the message provided to us by her brother Ali, Amal said: "I am fine, and the young woman Zeinab Faraj is with me. What happened is they struck the car driving in front of us, but I don't want to move from here. I am waiting for UNIFIL and the Red Cross."
Zeinab recounts that after the targeting of their accompanying vehicle, which was directly in front of them at a distance not exceeding ten meters, Amal's car veered toward an adjacent building. They quickly exited their car, leaving behind their press flak jackets and helmets, moving toward a stone ledge less than two meters away from their vehicle. She states that the escorts, Bazzi and Al-Hourani, were hit in the attack and did not dismount from their burning vehicle.
She adds that in the meantime, she noticed a large Israeli drone and two smaller drones approaching their faces. Zeinab mentions that she and Amal also considered returning to the car to leave the area, but the drones posed a threat. She spoke of the terror she felt: "The distance between the small drone and my face was very close; I was covering my face, fearing it would explode. I remembered a video clip that had spread earlier of a young man whose face was blown up by a drone in Ainata. It terrified me; the drone's goal was to burn my nerves."
Based on Zeinab's description, it is likely that the drones present at the site were "Quadcopter" drones.
Between 15:21 and 15:41
Second Attack: Amal's Car
Al Mayadeen reporter Jamal Al-Gharbi stated in his testimony to The Legal Agenda that he called Amal at 15:41, and she informed him she had been injured following an attack targeting her car, without specifying the nature of her injury. Paramedic Moussa also confirmed in his testimony to The Legal Agenda that he called Amal at 15:48, and she told him the same, adding that there was "a drone above her head," and that he noticed during the call a "change in Amal's voice." He added that he had called Amal earlier, specifically at 15:21, and she had not mentioned her car being targeted then, suggesting that the second strike occurred after this time.
Amal's car appeared in a photo taken at night after the incident, situated in a relatively similar position to where it was parked in front of the building following the first attack on the accompanying vehicle. The car appeared more heavily damaged and showed signs of burning, which may strengthen the hypothesis that it was targeted separately, rather than merely sustaining damage from the two attacks on the Mokhtar's car and the building.
The earliest news reports regarding the second attack stem from the Al Mayadeen channel website, which spoke of an Israeli assault on the town of Al-Tiri for the second time at 15:48 (local Lebanon time).
Then, at 16:06, Al Mayadeen reported breaking news regarding "casualties, including journalists, in the occupation's air aggression for the second time on Al-Tiri," and that "the occupation forces are preventing ambulances from arriving."
Thus, the likely time for the second attack on Amal Khalil's car can be estimated between 15:21 (the time of Amal's last call to Moussa before informing him of the strike on her car) and 15:41 (the time she informed her colleague Jamal that her car had been targeted).
Zeinab indicated that she and Amal sustained minor injuries following the targeting of the car. Shrapnel entered Zeinab's leg, affecting her mobility, and she felt pain in her ear due to the blast's intensity. As for Amal, Zeinab said she saw an injury on the upper side of Amal's arm and on her leg, likely from shrapnel. She noted that both she and Amal were still able to move and speak.
While affirming that the Israeli drones never left the site for a moment, Zeinab recalled that after Amal's car was targeted, they remained sitting on the ground leaning against the ledge. She mentioned attempting to hold her breath so the Israeli military would think she was dead and not target her.
She added that Amal's car caught fire after being targeted, and its bumper flew to a spot near the ledge they were leaning against in front of the building. They tried to use it as a shield from the flames, but it quickly became too hot. At that point, Zeinab opened a vertical roller door on the ground floor of the building, which had been damaged. She and Amal entered a room where she saw pantry jars, and they moved through it to the back, finding a small room where they stayed. This is where they were later found under the rubble, according to testimonies from Civil Defense teams.
Meanwhile, according to Zeinab, Amal was making calls to contacts in emergency services and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to rescue them.
Between 15:48 and 16:25
Third Attack: The Building
Inside the building, Zeinab stated she could still hear the drones, which seemed to be moving in circles around the structure. She added that she felt exhausted and experienced a drop in blood pressure, telling Amal she was going to sleep. She saw that Amal was also very tired. Zeinab lost consciousness then, saying she only woke up when she felt she was suffocating from the dust and felt the heavy weight of stones upon her, with her hijab covering her mouth.
Moussa pointed out in his testimony that while waiting with an ambulance team for clearance to reach the attack site—at a Lebanese army checkpoint on the Haddatha road near Amal and Zeinab's location—he heard a loud explosion as an Israeli warplane struck the town. He surmised then that the strike had targeted Amal and Zeinab.
The Legal Agenda obtained a video clip filmed by a paramedic at 16:25 from the ambulance waiting location, in which the sound of a strike can be clearly heard.
Two minutes later, at 16:27, Al Jazeera correspondent Carmen Joukhadar (herself a victim of a previous Israeli attack targeting journalists), situated in the town of Rmeish, captured a photo of smoke from a strike over the Al-Tiri area. In a video report, she stated she heard and saw with her own eyes an Israeli warplane striking the area and filmed it. Carmen noted that it later became apparent that this strike "was on a house where colleagues Amal and Zeinab were present."
Thus, the time of the third strike can be pinpointed at 16:25.
This strike was not accompanied by any immediate news reports on media or social networks, where coverage remained focused on the siege of the two journalists in the town and the inability of ambulance teams to reach the incident site.
The call log from Amal's family, reviewed by The Legal Agenda, shows that her sister Zeinab communicated with her at 15:52, 16:13, and 16:19. The last call was at 16:22, during which Amal confirmed she was fine and spoke normally.
The call log reviewed from Zeinab Faraj's sister, Wafiqa, showed their last communication via Amal's phone at 15:53, with the call lasting one minute.
Geographic Location of the Targeted Building
By reviewing the open-source visual content published about the incident, along with visual materials obtained by The Legal Agenda from rescue teams and witnesses, the likely location of the attack in the town of Al-Tiri, Bint Jbeil district, Nabatieh Governorate, southern Lebanon, was determined. It became clear that the strike leading to Amal's death targeted a three-story building located at coordinates 33.138286, 35.413573.
We reached this conclusion by matching evidence visible in visual markers, including screenshots from a video call between Zeinab and her sister following the attack on the accompanying vehicle; scenes from an Al Mayadeen interview with Malika Cheito, the owner of the targeted house; and other clips filmed in Al-Tiri before and after the incident. These included a video news report by correspondent Carmen Joukhadar on May 2 monitoring destruction in southern villages mentioning Al-Tiri, and a video documenting destruction in the town published on May 9 via the "Bint Jbeiliyon" page. We also compared these visual materials with images from Google Maps and Google Earth, newly acquired satellite imagery via the "OnGeo" service, and testimonies from paramedics, Zeinab, and the house owner.
When matching the visual content, clear landmarks were noted in photos and video clips obtained during rubble removal at night. These included an electricity pole, an oval-shaped collapsed ledge of a partially destroyed adjacent building, windows, trees, and a white vehicle resembling a Volkswagen Caddy Rapid 2000. Some of these features were clearly visible in the Al Jazeera correspondent's video and scenes from the Al Mayadeen interview with the homeowner following the incident.
An electricity pole and a circular overhead water tank were also evident in some video frames obtained by The Legal Agenda upon the ambulance team's first arrival at the attack site, as well as in the screenshots obtained from Zeinab Faraj's family taken during the video call after the first attack. The landmarks match the "Bint Jbeiliyon" video.
We also relied on the testimony of the homeowner in her interview with Al Mayadeen regarding a pantry shop on the ground floor of the targeted building, established by the family and named "Mounet Al-Dar." The report displays the shop's facade and the sign bearing its name. Searching for the shop in the Al-Tiri area revealed its location at coordinates 33.138286, 35.413573. The prominent landmarks surrounding the building closely matched the visual elements seen in the incident content: the oval ledge of the semi-destroyed adjacent building, the shape of the windows, the town's circular overhead water tank, and some surrounding structures. The exterior specifications of the building shown in the Al Mayadeen video also matched Zeinab's testimony, showing the tiled roof and roller door. Zeinab confirmed she saw pantry jars and described the interior precisely as it appeared in the video.
Zeinab noted that after opening the roller door, she could only enter by crawling under a table that was propping up the door and held household furniture. From there, she entered an area where the pantry jars were visible. While the jars appeared in the Al Mayadeen video, homeowner Malika Cheito confirmed to The Legal Agenda that she used to place furniture inside the shop on a table flush against the door.
Likewise, Zeinab spoke of the damage to the door she opened to enter the building and to a damaged adjacent building, facts also corroborated by visual materials.
When comparing an image from the OnGeo service on April 22, 2026, at 11:43 AM local time (hours before the attack) with an image taken on April 23, 2026, at 11:15 AM, the destruction of the three-story building where Amal and Zeinab were found under the rubble is clearly apparent.
3. Rescue Operations
The reconstruction of the Israeli attacks showed that Amal and Zeinab were unable to leave the targeted site due to hovering drones and the strikes on their car and their escorts' car. From the very first moments following the second attack in Al-Tiri, reports emerged about the obstruction of efforts to rescue Amal and Zeinab, and their besiegement. Therefore, we attempted to verify the extent of the Israeli military's obstruction of these efforts by tracking the activities of ambulance teams related to the incident, using information derived from multiple sources involved in the field coordination of ambulance missions. These include UNIFIL, the Lebanese Red Cross, Lebanese Civil Defense, and individual rescue team members.
It became apparent that amidst ongoing hostilities in the south, Lebanese ambulance teams coordinate their movements either via UNIFIL (which in turn coordinates with the Israeli side to secure a safe route for ambulances) or via the Lebanese Armed Forces, which communicates with the "Mechanism" committee. This coordination committee, established following the 2024 cessation of hostilities declaration, comprises the United States, France, and UNIFIL, alongside the Lebanese and Israeli militaries.
It emerged that the Israeli military transformed field coordination procedures into an authorization request requiring its approval before ambulance teams could initiate any mission in occupied areas or those experiencing hostilities.
The Lebanese Red Cross had previously published an explanation of its operational procedures for responding to humanitarian calls and mobilizing its crews in the southern border regions, in a statement issued on March 28, 2026. In it, the Red Cross clarified that due to hostilities, it is required to "notify UNIFIL and wait until a safe passage is secured to ensure protection to carry out missions."
The General Directorate of the Lebanese Civil Defense also clarified to The Legal Agenda that the mechanism for its rescue teams to reach attack sites relies on a field coordination system overseen by UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army. This ensures the opening of safe corridors and prevents the targeting of ambulance and firefighting vehicles and personnel while they move and navigate along specified roads.
Consequently, we tracked the coordination of ambulance movements with the Israeli side to reach Al-Tiri on the day of the incident to rescue Amal and Zeinab. It became clear that the Israeli side delayed granting approval for the coordination requests, forcing the ambulance team to withdraw from the attack site without rescuing Amal and to return later.
Since 14:36
Siege and Appeals
Testimonies heard by The Legal Agenda indicate that preparations to execute a rescue mission in Al-Tiri began immediately after the first attack. A Red Cross team was on standby to depart from its center in Tibnin, approximately 8.5 km from the attack site, while paramedic Moussa waited with two ambulances just 2.6 kilometers away. Yet, neither the Red Cross moved nor did Moussa's team reach Al-Tiri; they were not permitted to do so while waiting for the Israeli response via coordination mechanisms.
Moussa explained to The Legal Agenda that after receiving a call from Amal at 14:36 informing him of an Israeli attack on her accompanying vehicle, he immediately notified the Nabatieh regional center of the Lebanese Civil Defense. He attempted to head toward the incident site with three paramedics and two ambulances from the Al-Risala Health Ambulance Association center in Haddatha, before being stopped at a Lebanese Army checkpoint, where he was advised not to cross for his safety. Through voice messages at 15:30 (obtained by The Legal Agenda), Moussa asked Amal to retreat towards the army checkpoint "past the UNIFIL (center)" where he was awaiting permission to cross. However, this was impossible as Amal and Zeinab were besieged by drones.
We were able to determine the likely waiting location for the ambulances at the Lebanese Army checkpoint at coordinates 33.158546, 35.399277 on the Haddatha road towards Al-Tiri. This was done by analyzing acquired and published photos and videos, comparing them with Google Maps and Google Earth imagery, and locating the UNIFIL center mentioned by Moussa near the army checkpoint. We found it named "UNP 6-41," situated at coordinates 33.154597, 35.399749, serving as a military facility belonging to UNIFIL.
We compared photos obtained from the waiting site with night photos showing the wait of the teams and the Lebanese Army. A sign for the home of "Hajj Mohammad Ahmed Mqashar" is visible, alongside a tree-lined road and a concrete ledge appearing to be part of the home's fence and gate.
In the first minutes following the initial attack in Al-Tiri, news sites reported the presence of journalists starting at 14:50. Beginning at 14:58, reports mentioned waiting for Red Cross paramedics to arrive while an Israeli drone hovered in the sky. At 15:12, Al-Akhbar newspaper noted the presence of journalist Amal Khalil near the targeted vehicle on the Al-Tiri road. In reports concerning the second attack, mentions of ambulances being prevented from arriving began, including breaking news from Al Mayadeen at 16:06.
At 16:42, after the third attack, Al-Akhbar reported that "the Israeli army is besieging colleagues Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj in the town of Al-Tiri and is preventing the Red Cross and the Lebanese Army from reaching them."
With news of the siege, appeals began circulating in the media and from relevant official entities. The "Nabatieh" Facebook page posted an urgent appeal at 16:48 to concerned parties, stating that the two journalists "are still besieged until this moment in the vicinity of the Al-Tiri airstrike (...) due to Israeli forces preventing UNIFIL and ambulance teams from reaching the location."
At 16:58, Minister of Information Makary condemned in a post on "X" what he described as "the incident of the Israeli occupation army besieging journalists and photographers in the town of Al-Tiri - southern Lebanon," noting ongoing follow-up with UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army Command while holding Israel fully responsible for their safety.
The National News Agency reported at 17:09 that "the occupation army is besieging journalists Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj in Al-Tiri and preventing the Red Cross and the Lebanese Army from evacuating them." Later, a statement from the Presidency of the Republic at 18:50 indicated that President Joseph Aoun "is following up on the circumstances that accompanied the detention of media professionals Zeinab Faraj and Amal Khalil in the town of Al-Tiri, resulting from the Israeli forces' bombardment of the town."
15:00 to 16:45
Waiting for the First Approval
Zeinab confirmed in her testimony that Amal began, since the first attack around 2:30 PM, communicating with her sources in the Lebanese Army, emergency entities, and UNIFIL to request an ambulance.
This aligns with the testimonies of Jamal and Moussa that Amal requested medical help during her calls to them at 14:31 and 14:36. Information sourced from the Red Cross also indicates it was notified of the ambulance request at 14:38.
Information obtained by The Legal Agenda from various sources involved in field coordination for rescue missions reveals that after the first attack, the Red Cross and Civil Defense sent coordination requests to the Israeli side. This occurred via UNIFIL at 15:00 and via the Lebanese Army to the "Mechanism" committee at 15:41. However, a response from the Israeli side did not arrive until almost an hour and 45 minutes after the request, specifically at 16:45 through the "Mechanism," allowing the Red Cross to enter Al-Tiri, whereas the Lebanese Civil Defense did not receive "guarantees" to enter until 20:15 that night.
In detail, a UNIFIL source told The Legal Agenda that "the Red Cross sent a message to UNIFIL at around 14:56 stating that two ambulances (belonging to it) were preparing to leave the Tibnin center heading to the attack site to evacuate casualties," asking UNIFIL to pass the message to the Israeli military. Exactly at 15:00, UNIFIL forwarded the request to the Israeli military, including information about the attack location, the route the ambulance teams would take, and the reason for the mission. The reason stated: "To evacuate casualties from the media and press currently present." This aligns with information obtained by The Legal Agenda that coordination requests sent by the Red Cross typically include mission details; in this case, the request explicitly mentioned the presence of journalists from the very beginning and was sent minutes before 3 PM.
The Lebanese National Committee for International Humanitarian Law report on the incident, published on June 26, 2026, under the title "Legal Analysis Documenting Israel's Grave Violations of International Humanitarian Law Rules," noted that the Lebanese Army sent a similar request to the Israeli military via the "Mechanism" at 15:41. The Legal Agenda sent a request for information about the incident to the Lebanese Army Command but had not received a reply at the time of publication.
According to the UNIFIL source, the Israeli side only responded two hours later, specifically at 17:05, simply stating that it had "received the message," which is understood to mean "the request was not accepted." The source added that "the Red Cross was continuously following up and striving to reach the site, and UNIFIL continued to follow up with the Israeli side even by phone."
Regarding the Civil Defense, the General Directorate was informed of the first attack at approximately 2:30 PM. Upon notification, it relayed the coordinates of the targeted site to the Lebanese Army and followed up on procedures to secure intervention via the adopted coordination mechanism with relevant authorities and UNIFIL. Communications peaked between 5:00 and 5:30 PM, as clarified by the General Directorate to The Legal Agenda.
In the context of correspondence, Reporters Without Borders stated that it contacted an Israeli military spokesperson to halt airstrikes and allow rescue teams to reach journalist Amal Khalil in Al-Tiri. The spokesperson merely replied at 5:30 PM CET (6:30 PM Lebanon time) with a brief phrase: "I will look into it."
17:08 - Shortly before 18:00
Withdrawal of the Rescue Team
According to information gathered by The Legal Agenda from the Red Cross, after receiving approval from the Israeli side at around 16:45, a team of Red Cross paramedics mobilized from their center in Tibnin and arrived at the attack site just after 5 PM. They managed to pull the bodies of Bazzi and Al-Hourani and rescue Zeinab from under the rubble of the targeted building, but were forced to leave the site shortly before 6 PM without rescuing Amal after being threatened.
A photo obtained by The Legal Agenda shows a Red Cross vehicle at the attack site, with its metadata indicating 17:08. Another photo from the site shows Zeinab inside the ambulance, with its metadata indicating 17:55.
In the details gathered from multiple testimonies heard by The Legal Agenda, the Red Cross team, en route to the attack site in Al-Tiri aboard two ambulances, encountered rubble on the road. When the team dismounted to clear it, they saw a burnt car in the middle of the road containing two bodies, which turned out to be the Mokhtar and Al-Hourani. The team moved the bodies to the ambulance and began calling out for survivors, hearing a voice from under the rubble of a building which turned out to be Zeinab's.
The team rescued Zeinab, who was injured and unable to move. As two paramedics carried her to the parked ambulance some 20 to 25 meters from where she was extracted, they heard the sound of a drone and noticed a small drone in the sky. Soon after, they heard an explosion and dust covered the area; they believed it was a stun grenade. They continued with Zeinab to the vehicle and immediately departed the attack site before they could search for Amal, considering what happened a direct threat to their safety.
Upon arriving at Tibnin Hospital, the team noticed puncture marks on the ambulance, likely caused by light weapons.
The aforementioned details intersect with the testimony of journalist Jamal Al-Gharbi to The Legal Agenda. He confirmed learning from a Red Cross source that day, specifically at 16:45, that a Red Cross vehicle had moved towards the attack site, and he saw it minutes later while near Tibnin Hospital. He added that the same source informed him at 17:30 that they had reached the site, and then at 17:41 told him the rescue team had pulled the bodies of victims Bazzi and Al-Hourani, rescued Zeinab, and had to return after a stun grenade was thrown towards them.
The Legal Agenda obtained a video clip filmed from the attack site upon the ambulance team's arrival, where a paramedic is heard calling out, "A car in the middle of the road with two victims inside."
At 19:22, the National News Agency published a report stating that "the Red Cross car that transported journalist Zeinab Faraj was subjected to gunfire," attaching a photo whose authenticity The Legal Agenda verified, showing visible puncture marks on the left side (driver's side) of the vehicle, matching the model of Lebanese Red Cross cars.
The Legal Agenda could not determine the exact time or location these damages were sustained by the Red Cross vehicle, nor the source of the gunfire. Whether the visible marks were from light weapons, a stun grenade, or both, the incident posed a threat to rescue teams, especially in light of the Israeli military's systematic, deliberate targeting of ambulance teams in Lebanon—a pattern The Legal Agenda has documented in multiple investigations.
Later, at 20:22, the Ministry of Health released a statement saying that when "the Lebanese Red Cross arrived to transport the injured, the enemy prevented the completion of the humanitarian mission, firing a stun grenade at the ambulance and targeting it with bullets, preventing the recovery of Khalil, while Faraj and the bodies of the two victims were transported to the hospital."
Thus, Zeinab was transported to Tibnin Governmental Hospital without rescuing Amal, who, according to testimonies from rescue teams and Zeinab herself, was just one meter away from her under the rubble of the building.
Zeinab underwent multiple surgical operations due to "advanced injuries to the face, head, eye, right hand, and right thigh, and requires continuous treatment," according to a medical report issued on May 26, 2026.
19:00 (Time of Death) - 23:15
Waiting for the Second Approval
After Zeinab was rescued and the paramedic team was forced to leave the site, appeals to rescue Amal continued. Al Jadeed channel reported appeals from security authorities to the Mechanism committee to grant approval for the Red Cross to enter Al-Tiri and rescue Amal following her injury. In a statement, President Joseph Aoun requested "the Lebanese Red Cross to work on rescuing the two media professionals and their companions, coordinating with the Army and international forces to accomplish the rescue operation as quickly as possible."
According to information derived by The Legal Agenda from the Red Cross, the latter had to send another coordination request at 18:23, with approval arriving nearly an hour and 40 minutes later, at around 20:15 PM. This was the same time clearance was secured for the Civil Defense to enter Al-Tiri.
A UNIFIL source also reported that another coordination request was sent through them at 19:00 to the Israeli military, which responded at 20:16 that approval had been passed via the Mechanism.
The Lebanese National Committee for International Humanitarian Law's report on the incident noted that "at approximately 19:20, the Lebanese Army decided to escort the Red Cross to the site due to the dangerous situation. After handling technical matters related to the necessary rescue equipment, the Red Cross returned to the location with the Army and bulldozers at approximately 20:20."
Red Cross teams, escorted by the Lebanese Army, along with Civil Defense teams, headed to the attack site. Personnel began rubble removal operations for the targeted building using bulldozers, given the massive destruction caused by the strike. Amal's body was found on the ground floor of the building between 23:10 and 23:15, and the teams left the area at 23:30.
Moussa says he was among the team that extracted Amal's body from under a foundation pillar of the building: "Amal is the only person who ever asked me to rescue them, and I couldn't."
According to a medical report issued by Tibnin Governmental Hospital reviewed by The Legal Agenda, Amal's time of death was determined to be 7:00 PM on April 22, 2026, due to cardiac arrest resulting from a head injury that caused severe bleeding.
This report proves that Amal remained alive under the building's rubble for approximately two and a half hours after it was targeted by the Israeli military, and for about an hour after ambulance teams were forced to withdraw from the site without rescuing her.
During the collection of testimonies for this investigation, we were struck by the sentiment expressed by a number of observers of the field events that day, reflecting their impression that the Israeli military "wanted to kill Amal."
Part II: Context of the Crime
Before delving into the analysis of the crime, we dedicate this section to attempting to understand its context by examining the Israeli military presence near the attack sites and the likelihood of its connection to the gunfire on the Red Cross ambulance. We also pause to present previous Israeli threats Amal received due to her journalistic work, and the exceptional position she held in field journalism in the south amid the policy of erasing southern towns and their memory. This context contributes to a better understanding of the crime and its potential motivations.
Scope of the Israeli Military Presence
The town of Al-Tiri is located in the northwestern part of the Bint Jbeil district center, about two kilometers away, and sits 751 meters above sea level.
Amal's killing occurred five days after the US administration announced on Thursday, April 16, 2026, a draft understanding regarding a temporary truce for hostilities between the Lebanese and Israeli sides, which had been escalating since March 2, 2026. One clause of the agreement mentioned "Israel's right to activate necessary defensive measures to confront any potential or existing offensive threats," alongside an Israeli commitment to "refrain from launching any military offensive operations targeting Lebanese centers, including civilian and military facilities or any facilities belonging to the Lebanese state, whether through land, air, or sea attacks."
On the ground, the announcement was not accompanied by an actual cessation of hostilities. Since the declaration took effect, the Israeli military continued its invasions, incursions, and systematic demolition of homes, civilian infrastructure, and roads in several southern villages, in addition to launching attacks on homes and vehicles and issuing displacement orders to residents.
The Israeli military spokesperson announced on April 18 that "operations of self-defense and threat removal are not subject to the ceasefire resolution." On April 19, the spokesperson published a map of a broad area claimed to be under Israeli control within Lebanese territory under the name "Forward Defense Line." On April 20, he issued a warning to residents of southern Lebanon instructing them not to move south of this line, which includes dozens of villages, including the town of Al-Tiri (the subject of this investigation), announcing that Israeli forces would remain stationed in their positions during the ceasefire period.
Zeinab Faraj confirmed in her testimony that she did not see any Israeli military presence during their movements from Sidon to Al-Tiri. Researching the scope of the Israeli military's incursion since the truce announcement, we find that on April 18, 2026, according to the Al Jazeera website, the Israeli army had reached a depth of 6 to 7 kilometers in the Bint Jbeil sector (central sector), where the 162nd Division and 98th Division engaged in fighting and besieging around eastern and western Bint Jbeil. On April 20, media outlets published a video showing the withdrawal of a column of Israeli tanks in the city of Bint Jbeil towards the town of Aitaroun, following the spread of videos showing destruction and bulldozing in the city due to the invasion.
Satellite imagery from April 16, 2026, showed military vehicles whose visual features suggested they were tanks and bulldozers stationed in Al-Tiri, specifically in its southwestern part.
Two days later, recent images taken on April 18 showed the presence of military vehicles, apparently tanks, at a new positioning point in the town of Al-Tiri, specifically in front of the Al-Tiri Mosque, which is about 250 meters west of the targeted building. The images also showed the disappearance of vehicles from previously observed control points in the southwestern part of the town. This suggests the possibility that the vehicles began their incursion and moved south towards the town of Bint Jbeil, as indicated by earlier news reports.
However, recent satellite images of the town of Al-Tiri on April 22, the morning of the attack, did not capture any potential presence of Israeli military vehicles at the positioning points, specifically at the positioning point near the targeted building. Instead, they showed bulldozing marks indicating the vehicles had moved from there.
The "Al Mayadeen - Lebanon" Facebook page had published news of an Israeli detonation operation in the town of Al-Tiri on April 20, indicating the presence of Israeli forces there at that time.
The absence of vehicles at the positioning point near the attack site does not necessarily mean the absence of Israeli military forces from it or the area as a whole. The possibility remains that forces were present inside surrounding buildings or under trees, assuming they were undetectable due to bias factors in satellite imagery, especially since the analysis of the visible destruction and bulldozing leads to the conclusion of recent vehicle movement and relocation within the town that day.
Reviewing Hezbollah's Military Media statements for the period from April 16 to April 22 (the date of the targeting), we found no statements discussing operations in the town of Al-Tiri, whether attacks on Israeli military bulldozers and vehicles or clashes inside or on the outskirts of the town. Statements during this period were limited to military actions in the nearby city of Bint Jbeil.
On May 17, Military Media published a map of military vehicle targeting, including tanks and bulldozers, between April 17 and May 16, 2026, and no targeting operations appeared in Al-Tiri.
Military Media also published a map showing areas of direct clashes with the Israeli military between March 2, 2026, and April 16, 2026, which indicated no clashes occurred in Al-Tiri.
Returning to the damage sustained by the Red Cross ambulance, the rescue team, upon arriving at Tibnin Hospital, found puncture marks on it likely caused by light weapons munitions, though we could not determine the exact time and location of their occurrence. Assuming the damage occurred while the ambulance was stationary at the attack site or moving near it, the aforementioned positioning point in Al-Tiri—specifically in front of the Al-Tiri Mosque 250 meters from the targeted building—could be the source of the fire. The presence of the Israeli military in this area might place the vehicle within the line of sight, in addition to aligning with the trajectory of the damage marks on the vehicle.
It is worth noting that Amal had decided to film the bulldozing operations in the city of Bint Jbeil from the town of Al-Tiri because she knew it was impossible to enter Bint Jbeil due to the presence of Israeli occupation forces inside it. She had done exactly the same the day before her killing, as she did not enter the town of Beit Lif due to the Israeli military's presence inside, instead filming the town and Israeli bulldozing operations from the overlooking town of Yater.
Previous Threats
Amal Khalil's killing occurred within the context of the Israeli military's deliberate killing of journalists in Gaza and Lebanon. Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in 2023, 9 journalists have been killed in direct Israeli attacks. Her killing also came after she received direct Israeli death threats, which may constitute evidence of intent to target her.
Days before Amal's killing, specifically on April 15, 2026, the Israeli military spokesperson re-shared a video clip published by Al-Akhbar showing Amal in the town of Ansariyeh rescuing a cat from under the rubble. The spokesperson wrote in an inciting manner, "And from humanity, what kills..." referring to what he described as "terrorist media" speaking "on behalf of Hezbollah, the devil."
Prior to that, Amal received explicit death threats twice from an Israeli phone number in August and September 2024 (before the expansion of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon at the time). She received a text message on her personal phone stating that the Israeli military knew her location, demanding she "run" if she wanted to keep "the connection between her head and her shoulders."
Subsequently, Amal revealed that Israel had threatened the Al-Akhbar newspaper where she worked, demanding they stop her from working, otherwise the entire newspaper would be targeted.
Former Minister of Information Ziad Makary documented this threat. On September 17, 2024, he sent a letter to the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, Costanza Farina, informing her that Amal had been threatened by an Israeli number via a text message to her mobile phone containing a direct threat to kill her, behead her, and demolish her home. The Minister requested that this be noted and appropriate action taken. The Syndicate of Journalists in Lebanon also documented this threat, addressing a letter in this regard to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan.
Part III: Legal Analysis of the Crime
The evidence documented in this investigation indicates that the Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of journalist Amal Khalil and the injury of journalist Zeinab Faraj while they were carrying out a journalistic mission may amount to war crimes. These consist of directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, and the willful killing of persons protected under international humanitarian law.
International humanitarian law (IHL) prohibits such attacks for violating the principle of distinction between military objectives and civilian objects, which is the cornerstone of the laws of war, as well as the principle of precaution in attack, which imposes an obligation to verify that targets are military objectives (Rule 16 of Customary IHL). IHL mandates the respect and protection of journalists as civilians, provided they take no direct part in hostilities (Rule 34 of Customary IHL).
The killing of Amal Khalil can be characterized as an assassination, given the evidence indicating she was killed willfully, with full knowledge of her civilian and journalistic status and her protected status against attacks. The intentional nature of Amal's killing is evident through three primary elements: the Israeli military's targeting of the journalists, its knowledge of their civilian and journalistic status, and the obstruction of their rescue operations.
1. Targeting the Two Journalists
The Israeli military admitted to launching an attack on the building where Amal and Zeinab sought refuge—the attack that led to Amal's death. It denied targeting the journalists and justified its attacks by claiming "terrorists" posed a threat to its forces and sought refuge in the building, specifying that the declared targets of the attacks were escorts Ali Bazzi and Mohammad Al-Hourani. However, our investigation refutes the validity of these justifications and shows that the Israeli military deliberately targeted Amal.
The Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee (or designated spokesperson), stated on their official "X" account on the evening of the incident at 20:22 that Israeli forces "identified two vehicles in the southern Lebanon area exiting a military building used by the terrorist Hezbollah," and that "terrorists" crossed the "forward defense line and approached the forces in a manner posing an immediate threat." The statement added that after it was "determined they were violating the ceasefire agreement, the Air Force attacked one of the vehicles, then targeted a building where the terrorists sought refuge." She noted that "the details of the incident are under examination," that "the forward defense line map has been published, and the area is evacuated."
While the spokesperson noted in the same statement that reports indicated two journalists were injured as a result of the attacks, she claimed the army "does not prevent at this stage the arrival of rescue teams to the area." In her justification, she indicated that the Israeli military "does not target journalists in any way, and works as much as possible to minimize the harm that may befall them while maintaining the security of our forces."
We refute the justifications provided in the Israeli statement below:
"Exiting a Military Building"
The statement claimed that Israeli forces "identified two vehicles in the southern Lebanon area exiting a military building used by the terrorist Hezbollah." However, our investigation shows that Amal and Zeinab were traveling on a journalistic mission at the time of the attacks. Furthermore, it did not appear, especially from the analysis of Amal's car route and the accompanying vehicle, that either of the vehicles or the individuals in them entered a building or closed location before arriving in the town of Al-Tiri where the attacks occurred.
It is evident that the stops made by Amal and Zeinab's car from Sidon to Tibnin were in open, public places in Ain Baal and Qana, before meeting escorts Bazzi and Al-Hourani in the outer courtyard of Tibnin Hospital before the two cars departed towards Al-Tiri, stopping only once on the main road in Kounine.
"Immediate Threat to Israeli Forces"
The statement alleged that "terrorists" crossed the "forward defense line and approached the forces in a manner posing an immediate threat" and that they violated the ceasefire agreement. However, our investigation—particularly the analysis of recent satellite imagery—shows that the closest potential positioning point for Israeli forces was empty of any military vehicles on the day of the incident. Zeinab Faraj also denied seeing any Israeli military presence at any point during their movements from Sidon to Al-Tiri.
Even assuming the presence of military forces stationed near the attack site in Al-Tiri, this does not constitute sufficient reason to justify the attack, nor does using the pretext of crossing the "forward defense line" and the area being "evacuated." These arguments do not exempt parties to an armed conflict from adhering to the rules of international humanitarian law, particularly regarding obligations to verify targets and protect civilians and journalists present in areas subject to evacuation orders.
Moreover, the cessation of hostilities declaration published by the US State Department on April 16, 2026, does not stipulate the creation of any zone "evacuated" of civilians, while its third clause states that Israel has the right to take "all necessary measures for self-defense at any time against any planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks." Nevertheless, the exercise of the right to self-defense must comply with the rules of international humanitarian law, specifically the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution in attack.
In all cases, political agreements cannot supersede international law, particularly peremptory norms such as the prohibition on the use of force and the rules of international humanitarian law. The Legal Agenda has previously clarified this, noting that a truce declaration or political understanding cannot grant Israel a broader right to use force than what is permitted by international law.
"Targeting a Building where Terrorists Sought Refuge"
The Israeli military stated it carried out two attacks, one on "one of the vehicles" and then "targeted a building where the terrorists sought refuge." However, our investigation shows the Israeli military launched three attacks, not two, over a two-hour period, attacking both vehicles rather than just one. It attacked the vehicle accompanying Amal, then about an hour later attacked Amal's car, and about an hour after that, targeted the building Amal and Zeinab sought refuge in after being injured.
The Israeli military justified the attack on the building that killed Amal by claiming "terrorists" had sought refuge there. In a later statement to The Washington Post, it said it targeted the escorts, Bazzi and Al-Hourani, describing them as Hezbollah operatives without providing any evidence to substantiate this claim. We found no evidence that either of the escorts was a combatant or armed, or held a military status, which warrants the presumption of their civilian status and negates the alleged potential threat to Israeli forces.
In any event, our investigation showed that those who sought refuge in the targeted building were Amal and Zeinab, while the bodies of escorts Bazzi and Al-Hourani were found in their car, making it highly probable they were killed in the first attack on their vehicle—nearly two hours before the building was targeted. This indicates that the Israeli military launched an attack targeting Amal and Zeinab, not the escorts as it claimed.
2. Knowledge of Civilian and Journalistic Status
The Israeli military's statement refers to the injury of the two journalists as collateral damage resulting from military attacks, denying that they were targeted, noting "reports received regarding the injury of two female journalists as a result of the attacks." However, our investigation reveals several indicators that the Israeli military knew of their civilian and journalistic status prior to launching the attack on the targeted building, as well as prior knowledge of Amal Khalil's identity as a journalist for Al-Akhbar newspaper.
According to the Elements of Crimes adopted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the elements of the crime of willful killing are satisfied if the perpetrator was aware of the factual circumstances that established the victim's status as a person protected under the Geneva Conventions, which include both civilians and journalists.
Knowledge of Civilian Status: Drone Surveillance
Zeinab Faraj affirmed in her testimony that she saw three Israeli drones at the attack site immediately following the first attack on the escorts' car, that the drones remained at the site and did not leave throughout her and Amal's presence there, and that one drone approached her face less than a meter away and continued to track her until they sought refuge in the building.
It is evident that the two journalists remained near the building in an exposed area under drone surveillance for at least an hour. Additionally, the Israeli statement noted that the vehicles had been identified/monitored, implying the convoy was under surveillance before arriving at the attack site.
Based on Zeinab's description, it is likely the drones present were "Quadcopter" drones, the type the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor documented the Israeli military heavily using as a tool for psychological terror, surveillance, and direct killing in Gaza. The Monitor notes this type of drone was developed by Israel for military use, possessing "real-time video surveillance, continuous monitoring, precise targeting, and the ability to track moving targets swiftly and flexibly."
Thus, it is probable that the Israeli military was continuously monitoring field events and the individuals present at the site via drones for at least two hours, and that Amal and Zeinab specifically were under direct Israeli surveillance from the time of the attack on the escorts' car at the very least, and remained under surveillance until they were injured and entered the building.
The targeting of the building that resulted in Amal's death did not occur as an isolated military action or within the context of rapidly unfolding hostilities; it came after two successive attacks over a span of about two hours: the first on the car of escorts Bazzi and Al-Hourani, resulting in their deaths, and the second on Amal's car.
Therefore, it can be concluded that before launching the attack on the building, the Israeli military was capable of verifying the deaths of Bazzi and Al-Hourani in the first strike and discerning the status of the two individuals who sought refuge in the building, identifying them as two injured civilian women. This indicates that the Israeli military launched an attack on civilian targets while aware of their civilian status, constituting a direct attack on civilians in violation of the principle of distinction between military objectives and civilian objects.
Knowledge of Journalistic Status: Official Notification
According to Zeinab's testimony, she and Amal swiftly dismounted from their car following the first attack on the accompanying vehicle without their press flak jackets and helmets. However, the investigation reveals indicators of the Israeli military's knowledge of their journalistic status before launching the attack on the building that killed Amal.
The Israeli military learned of the victims' journalistic status via official channels designated for field coordination with UNIFIL and the "Mechanism" committee, as the coordination notifications for executing the ambulance mission included informing them of the presence of two journalists at the attack site. A first notification was sent via UNIFIL at 15:00, while a second was sent via the "Mechanism" at 15:41, indicating the Israeli military's knowledge of their journalistic status roughly an hour and a half before launching the attack on the building at 16:25.
Moreover, the news of two besieged journalists at the attack site was heavily covered starting at 14:50 by multiple Lebanese media outlets and the official accounts of Lebanese officials, such as the Minister of Information and the President of the Republic—accounts that are likely monitored by the Israeli military.
Knowledge of Amal Khalil's Identity: Incitement and Previous Threats
In addition to its knowledge of the civilian and journalistic status of Amal and Zeinab before launching the attack on the building, we also observed indicators of the military's prior knowledge of Amal Khalil's identity as a journalist for Al-Akhbar newspaper. Amal is a widely known journalist due to her coverage of events in southern Lebanon, and several Lebanese media outlets published reports about her presence at the attack site, starting with the news published by Al-Akhbar itself at 15:12, before the building was attacked.
It appears the Israeli military had prior knowledge of Amal's identity before the date of the attack and had published inciting material against her. A week earlier, the Israeli military spokesperson shared a video clip of Amal published by Al-Akhbar, which he described as "terrorist media" speaking "on behalf of Hezbollah, the devil." Amal and Al-Akhbar had also received threats from Israeli numbers, including a death threat to Amal stating the Israeli military knew her location, and a threat to target the newspaper if they did not stop her journalistic work.
The Israeli military had previously launched four direct, deliberate attacks on gatherings of journalists in Lebanon, explicitly claiming the assassination of journalist Ali Shoeib, justifying it by alleging his affiliation with Hezbollah in an attempt to strip his journalistic work of its civilian status.
According to international humanitarian law, civilians, including journalists, do not lose their legal protection due to their political opinions, their support for a party to the conflict, or even their contribution to the general war effort by disseminating a party's propaganda; it is prohibited to consider them legitimate targets for military operations.
Therefore, these combined factors, placed within the context of the Israeli pattern of targeting press personnel, make it highly probable that the Israeli military was aware of Amal and Zeinab's civilian and journalistic status when it deliberately launched an attack on them, at the very least. At most, it suggests the military was aware of Amal's identity and intentionally sought to kill her, constituting an assassination operation under the guise of military operations. In either case, the elements of the crime of willful killing are met, necessitating an investigation into it as a potential war crime.
3. Obstructing the Movement of Rescue Teams
The statement issued that night claimed that the Israeli military "does not prevent at this stage the arrival of rescue teams to the area."
However, our investigation—particularly the analysis of the chronological sequence of military actions and rescue operations—shows that the Israeli military hindered the movement of rescue teams to prevent them from reaching the attack site and obstructed the execution of rescue operations. This was done by delaying approval for ambulance teams to move to the attack site twice (first between 15:00 and 16:45, and second between 18:23 and 20:15), in addition to the suspected threat to the rescue team by dropping what is believed to be a stun grenade, forcing them to leave the attack site before rescuing Amal, and by firing at the ambulance.
This obstruction effectively prevented rescue teams from reaching Amal for up to six hours, from the time she first requested an ambulance following the initial attack on the accompanying car (around 2:30 PM) until the Israeli military granted the second approval for rescue teams to proceed to the attack site (around 20:15 PM).
Since the medical report determined Amal's time of death to be around 7:00 PM, the obstruction of rescue operations may have contributed to causing her death, considering she remained alive under the rubble of the targeted building for two and a half hours (the building was hit at 16:25) and her heart stopped about an hour after the rescue team was forced to withdraw without rescuing her (they withdrew around 17:53).
The Israeli military's obstruction of rescue operations serves as an additional indicator of intent to kill Amal. It also constitutes a standalone, independent violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits preventing or obstructing the delivery of medical assistance to the wounded. Parties to the conflict are required to ensure the necessary freedom of movement for authorized humanitarian relief personnel to perform their functions, and it is prohibited to temporarily restrict their movement except in cases of imperative military necessity (Rule 56 of Customary IHL).
It is noted in this regard that the Israeli statement indicated it was not preventing rescue operations "at this stage," without referencing the stages preceding its issuance, bearing in mind the statement was released at 20:22, just seven minutes after the second approval was granted for rescue teams to move, and roughly an hour and a half after Amal's heart had stopped.
If it is proven that the Israeli military fired at the Red Cross vehicle, we are looking at an additional war crime, consisting of directing an attack against medical transports (Rule 29 of Customary IHL).
Conclusion
Two bodies in a burning car, a second car in flames, two injured women entering an adjacent building, and an official request to evacuate casualties from the press. This was the scene in the town of Al-Tiri when the Israeli military decided to launch the attack that killed journalist Amal Khalil and injured photojournalist Zeinab Faraj.
The investigation found that the Israeli military targeted Amal and Zeinab, and that Amal's killing was not collateral damage from an isolated military action or rapid military operations, but rather the result of a series of three consecutive attacks over the course of two hours. During that time, the Israeli military was continuously monitoring field events via drones.
It launched three attacks on the location of the two journalists: the first on the vehicle accompanying them, the second on their car, and the third on the building they sought refuge in to escape the strikes. It also besieged the two journalists at the attack site and obstructed their rescue operations by delaying approval for the movement of rescue teams and threatening them. All this occurred while having knowledge of the civilian and journalistic status of Amal and Zeinab prior to targeting the building and obstructing the rescue operations.
Accordingly, the available evidence points to the Israeli military's deliberate killing of Amal, constituting war crimes and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, which prohibits launching attacks against civilians and civilian objects, hindering the movement of relief teams, and the willful killing of persons protected under the Geneva Conventions.
Amal never left the south or its villages for a day: "What happens to the people happens to me," she said more than once, summarizing this bond. She toured the villages, checked on their residents, and documented Israeli assaults with audio and video. She knew the people of the south so well that anyone accompanying her would imagine she "knows everyone, literally everyone," as her fellow journalists say, referring to the extensive network she built across the south over years of field work and daily tracking of people's affairs since 2006. All this made her a reference in efforts to document Israeli violations in the south, and a trusted, beloved source for journalists.
With the assassination of Amal, the south lost a part of its voice, its memory, and the person who told its story to the world, and journalists lost a reference who never held back information, even if it was an exclusive scoop.