Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and wounded a photographer accompanying her on Wednesday, according to a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil's employer, Al-Akhbar newspaper, as reported by France 24.
Khalil, 43, was covering events in the region when she was killed. The strike that claimed her life was among several that day, bringing the total death toll to five people - making it the deadliest day since a 10-day ceasefire was announced on April 16 to halt hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
A fragile ceasefire under strain
The April 16 ceasefire had been presented as a pause in fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, which has been engaged in cross-border exchanges with Israel since the outbreak of the broader regional conflict. Wednesday's deaths signal significant strain on that agreement, with lethal strikes continuing to claim civilian and media casualties despite the stated halt in hostilities.
The killing of a journalist in an active conflict zone raises concerns under international humanitarian law, which affords protections to members of the press. Journalists are considered civilians under the Geneva Conventions and are not to be targeted unless they directly participate in hostilities.
Press casualties in the conflict
Khalil's death adds to a growing toll of media workers killed in the broader regional conflict. Organizations monitoring journalist casualties have documented a significant number of reporter deaths across the region since fighting escalated, with Lebanon and Gaza among the most affected areas.
The photographer who accompanied Khalil was wounded in the same strike, according to the same sources cited by France 24. Neither Israeli military authorities nor Hezbollah had issued statements on the specific incident at the time of reporting.
The Lebanese military official's confirmation, alongside the statement from Al-Akhbar, provides two independent attributions for the incident. The circumstances of the strike and whether those killed were clearly identifiable as press personnel had not been established in the initial reports.
