Death of a journalist in Lebanon overshadows negotiations

At this point, the 43-year-old had just met her colleague, the photographer Zeinab Faraj, in an empty building in the southern Lebanese city Tire hidden. Previously, both of them had seen from their car how an air strike had torn apart the car in front of them. Shortly afterwards, a rocket also hit their hiding place.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) do not deny the attacks. Two vehicles were from the terrorist militia Hezbollah left the building used, crossed the so-called “defense line” to the south occupied by Israeli troops and thus violated the ceasefire agreement, it said in a statement. Therefore, one of the vehicles and the building in which the occupants of the second car sought refuge were attacked from the air.

The Lebanese one Red Cross However, makes serious allegations: After the two journalists made an emergency call, a rescue team tried to evacuate them. The helpers came “under fire” – first there were airstrikes in the immediate vicinity, then Israeli soldiers fired at the ambulances with automatic weapons.

Only after the fatal attack on the building was the injured photographer Faraj able to be rescued; any help came too late for Ama Khalil.

Fragile ceasefire

The incident puts additional strain on the already tense atmosphere between Israel and Lebanon shortly before a new round of talks in Washington on Thursday. The ten-day ceasefire was agreed on April 16 at the insistence of the United States and the Lebanese government. Nevertheless, mutual attacks between Israel and Hezbollah occur daily.

It was only on Wednesday that the terrorist militia, which is not part of the negotiations, fired rockets again into northern Israel. Two French peacekeepers from the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL were also killed in Lebanon on Saturday, reportedly by Hezbollah fighters. Conversely, Israel carries out regular air strikes – officially only for self-defense purposes – on Hezbollah positions.

Lebanon speaks of war crimes

The killing of journalist Ama Khalil marks a new level of escalation in an already fragile ceasefire. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke of war crimes and announced that, regardless of further negotiations, his government would take measures “to hold Israel accountable before international bodies for the targeted attacks on journalists and the obstruction of medical assistance.”

The US Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also accused Israel’s army of specifically wanting to stop reporting on its warfare: Khalil had already received death threats in September 2024 that were attributed to the IDF.