Statement condemning Israel’s targeting of journalists in Lebanon and Palestine

Since October 8, 2023, Israel has been deliberately targeting journalists in South Lebanon while doing their job. Evidence indicates that this targeting, which has been ongoing in Gaza and the West Bank has spread to Lebanon, especially after Israel escalated its war on September 23rd, 2024.  

The first documented incident of such attacks, occurred on October 13, 2023, in Aalma Al Shaab, when Reuters’ reporter Issam Abdallah was killed, and six other journalists were injured in an Israeli shelling. In a communication addressed to the Israeli authorities in November 2023, UN Special Procedures expressed grave concern that the killing of Mr. Abdallah and the injuries endured by the other journalists came as a “direct result of their work as independent press workers”. The experts highlighted that the journalists appeared to have been targeted despite being clearly identified as media workers with the “press” identification on their gears.  

Over the course of one year of Israel’s war in Gaza and in Lebanon, a pattern of targeting journalists for their work has been documented.  The Samir Kassir Foundation’s SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom monitoring violations of freedom of the press has reported over 800 journalists who were either killed, arrested, injured, or had their houses destroyed or displaced. In Lebanon alone, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) has documented the killing of seven journalists in Lebanon by Israel. Additionally, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has noted a disturbing trend where family members of threatened journalists    have also been targeted and killed.   

On October 25, 2024, around 3:30 AM, the Israeli military attacked a journalists' residential compound in Hasbaya, Southern Lebanon. This compound housed reporters from at least seven media organizations while reporting on the war in the area. There was no warning. Three journalists were killed, and many others were injured in the strike. The compound included a courtyard filled with cars clearly marked with “Press.” The journalists had also provided their movement details to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), peacekeepers, to ensure their safety. 

During the past year, Israel has killed eleven journalists, of which were targeted in South Lebanon, Issam Abdallah, Farah Omar, Rabih Meemari, Ghassan Najjar, Mohammad Rida and Wissam Qassem. While five were killed in Israeli strikes, Hadi Al Sayyed, Mohamed Bitar, Mohamed Ghadboun, Ali Yassine and Hassan Roumieh.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Lebanese Journalists’ Syndicate (LJS), have condemned the killings of journalists in Lebanon, stressing that impunity for Israel cannot continue and that those responsible for the massacres of journalists must be tried and punished before the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

The right to freedom of expression is protected under Articles 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It guarantees the “freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice”. 

In her recent report presented to the Human Rights Council in August 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, highlighted Israel’s responsibility in the killings of journalists in southern Lebanon and in Palestine and called on Israel to ensure the safety of all journalists. 

On October 4, 2024, UN human rights experts deplored Israel’s “increasing disregard for international law” and its “relentless campaign against the most fundamental protections for civilians”. They called for accountability for violations of international law being committed in Lebanon and on Israel’s allies to end their complicity. 

The targeting of journalists by Israel constitutes a violation of its obligations to protect journalists in situations of conflict and tension, in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.  

In the context of an armed conflict, “civilian immunity” is a fundamental tenet of international humanitarian law. It imposes a duty, at all times during the conflict, to target only combatants and other military objectives. It is forbidden in any circumstance to carry out direct attacks against civilians. Journalists benefit from the general protection enjoyed by civilians and may not be targets of an attack unless they are taking direct part in hostilities. 

These obligations are set out in the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and were cited in UN Human Rights Council Resolution on the “Safety of Journalists” in October 2022. Article 4 of the Third Geneva convention and article 79 of Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, formally state that journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in zones of armed conflict are civilians and as such, they enjoy the full scope of protection granted to civilians under international humanitarian law. 

The Lebanese Center of Human Rights (CLDH), the Alternative Press Syndicate, Legal Agenda, SMEX , Samir Kassir Foundation and the MENA Rights Group hence call for: 

• Unconditional protection of all journalists and civilians, in line with international humanitarian and human rights law; 

• Full accountability for Israel’s unlawful killings of journalists, including through independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all killings in line with international standards;  

• A total arms embargo on Israel as well as the end of all collaboration and military assistance agreements concluded between Israel and third countries. 

CLDH – Lebanese Centre for Human Rights 

Alternative Press Syndicate  

SMEX 

Samir Kassir Foundation 

Legal Agenda  

MENA Rights Group