BEIRUT (Reuters) – Amnesty International said on Thursday that Israeli artillery fire that killed a Reuters journalist and injured seven other reporters in southern Lebanon on October 13 was a direct attack on civilians and must be addressed under investigation for war crimes.
A Reuters investigation published Thursday shows that two consecutive artillery shots fired by Israeli tanks killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and seriously injured Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Christina Assi 28, along with six other reporters as they filmed the bombings remotely, from the Lebanese village of Alma al-Chaab, near the Israeli border.
The group of reporters from AFP, Reuters and Al Djazira all wore helmets and bulletproof vests with the word “PRESS” written on them. Journalists from seven other media outlets were also in the Alma al-Shaab area on October 13.
In its investigation, Reuters cites sources from more than thirty governments, security officials, military experts, lawyers, doctors and witnesses in a detailed account of the incident.
Reuters also viewed hours of video provided by eight media outlets and hundreds of photos taken before and after the attack, as well as satellite images.
The Israeli army denied this version of events.
“We do not target civilians,” said Israeli army spokesman Eylon Levy. “We are doing everything possible to spare civilians.”
“We do not target journalists,” Israel Defense Forces Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said, without providing additional comment.
Targeting civilians is condemned by the Geneva Convention.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), but also the AFP, all carried out an investigation into this incident.
Amnesty International said its investigation uncovered “clear evidence that an attack was carried out on a group of international journalists who were doing their job reporting on conflict.”
HRW said evidence indicates the Israeli military “knew or should have known that the group they were shooting at were civilians.”
“UNEXPLICABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE”
The HRW investigation designates the two Israeli shootings as “an apparently deliberate attack on civilians and therefore a war crime”, adding that those responsible must be held accountable.
The AFP said the findings of the Reuters investigation were consistent with those of its own investigation.
“It is absolutely essential that Israel provide a clear explanation of what happened. The targeting of a group of journalists who had clearly identified themselves as such is inexplicable and unacceptable,” said the director of the information from AFP, Phil Chetwynd.
“The Reuters investigation into the October 13 attack highlights Israel’s alarming pattern of deliberately targeting journalists in an attempt to silence the messengers,” said Ihtisham Hibatullah, the head of the international communications from Al Djazira.
The German Foreign Ministry has stressed the importance of protecting journalists.
“The protection of journalists must be guaranteed at all times. Incidents in which journalists are injured or killed must be thoroughly investigated,” said a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry.
(Tom Perry and Maggie Fick in Beirut and Dan Williams and James Mackenzie in Jerusalem and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; French version by Zhifan Liu)
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