Lebanon: NUJ condemns targeted killing of journalist by Israeli airstrikes
The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Union of Journalists of Lebanon (UJL) in condemning the killing of Amar Khalil who was targeted by Israeli airstrikes while reporting on the war in southern Lebanon on 22 April.
Khalil, who worked for Al-Akhbar newspaper, and Zeinab Faraj, a freelance photographer, sought shelter in a building after an Israeli drone strike hit a civilian vehicle in front of them, killing two people.
The UJL reported that two hours later the Israeli army targeted the building where the journalists had taken shelter. Red Cross rescue teams managed to evacuate Faraj, who was injured and transferred to hospital, but couldn’t access the building where Khalil was trapped.
The UJL issued an emergency appeal reporting that Khalil was trapped under the rubble and that rescue teams couldn't reach her due to ongoing Israeli attacks.
The UJL reported that the Israeli army had delayed approving entry to the site where Khalil was trapped, preventing rescue teams from reaching her. Her body was recovered hours later.
Khalil had received death threats in September 2024, which the UJL attributed to the Israeli army.
Elsy Moufarrej, UJL president, said:
“The Israeli army adds to its long and bloody record a new and deliberate war crime that led to the martyrdom of Amal Khalil, who bled to death, after preventing ambulance crews from reaching her for nearly four hours.”
Anthony Bellanger, IFJ general secretary, said:
“We are appalled by Israel’s targeted killing of our colleague, Amal Khalil, and by the obstruction of rescue efforts that prevented help from reaching her as she lay trapped under the rubble. Israel’s deliberate violence and its systematic killing of journalists in Gaza is being replicated in Lebanon in the face of the international community’s inaction and with total impunity. Those responsible for crimes on journalists and war crimes must be held accountable before international courts.”
Four journalists and media workers have now been killed in Lebanon since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran on 28 February. The IFJ has joined the Global Unions (CGU) in calling for a permanent ceasefire across the Middle East.
The assassination of journalists in Lebanon follows the targeted killing of journalists in Palestine by Israeli forces. The IFJ has reported that at least 235 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since 7 October 2023, with killings continuing despite the October 2025 ceasefire announcement. On 8 April, Mohammed Samir Wishah, who worked for Al Jazeera Mubasher, was similarly targeted and killed by a Israeli drone strike on a civilian vehicle in Gaza.
The NUJ parliamentary group has tabled an Early Day Motion highlighting the unacceptable, growing threat to journalists and media professionals, and the urgent need for accountability.