Under fire: Journalist killed by Israeli tank shell
A few days after the massacre by Hamas terrorists in Israel, a group of journalists is traveling in Lebanon - and comes under fire. One journalist dies, others are injured. Investigations now reveal that an Israeli bullet is responsible for the death.
According to research by the news agencies Reuters and AFP, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed by an Israeli tank shell in southern Lebanon on October 13. According to the research, an Israeli tank crew fired twice in quick succession. The shells exploded 37 seconds apart near a group of journalists. Human rights organizations speak of a possible war crime and demand clarification from Israel.
For its research, Reuters spoke to more than 30 government representatives, security officials, military experts, forensic investigators, lawyers, doctors and witnesses. Many hours of video footage from eight different media outlets and hundreds of photos were analyzed, including high-resolution satellite images.
The 37-year-old video reporter Abdallah was killed in the attack, while six other journalists were injured, some of them seriously - two Reuters employees, a photographer from the French news agency AFP and her video colleague, as well as two employees of the television station Al-Jazeera. AFP photographer Christina Assi's right leg had to be amputated and, according to the agency, she is still in hospital.
Reuters demands explanation from Israel
All seven reporters were wearing blue protective vests and helmets, with "PRESS" written in white letters on most of them. They came under fire just over a kilometer from the Israeli border near the Lebanese village of Alma al-Shaab. Journalists from at least seven other media outlets were also working nearby. The reporters wanted to report on the armed clashes in the border area following the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Hamas on October 7.
The independent Dutch institute TNO, which tests and analyzes ammunition and weapons for customers such as the Dutch Ministry of Defence, examined fragments of ammunition in its laboratories in The Hague. According to the findings, 120-millimeter tank ammunition of the type used by the Israeli army was used. "The evidence we now have, which we have published today, shows that an Israeli tank crew killed our colleague Issam Abdallah," said Reuters editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni. "We condemn Issam's killing. We call on Israel to explain how this could have happened." Those responsible should be held accountable. "Issam was a brilliant and passionate journalist who was much loved by Reuters," Galloni added.
AFP said the evidence compiled by Reuters confirmed its own investigation. The attack on a group of journalists who were clearly identified as media representatives was "inexplicable" and "unacceptable", said AFP information director Phil Chetwynd.
The organization "Reporters Without Borders" (RSF) had already announced at the end of October, citing its own analysis, that Abdallah's death had been caused by a targeted attack from the direction of the Israeli border. RSF had also included a video with original footage from the scene in its report.
"Do not target journalists"
"We are not targeting civilians," said Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy in a televised press conference when asked about the results of the investigation. "We have done everything possible to take civilians out of the line of fire." The armed forces (IDF) had previously made similar statements. "We do not target journalists," said IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.
Lebanon announced that it would forward the reports to the United Nations Security Council as part of its complaint. "Israel's criminality knows no bounds," said the office of Prime Minister Najib Mikati. A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin explained that a free and diverse press is a cornerstone of democracy. "The protection of journalists must be guaranteed at all times. Incidents in which journalists are injured or killed must be fully investigated. This also applies in this case."
Direct fire on civilians or civilian objects is strictly prohibited under the Geneva Convention of 1949, which has been ratified by all UN member states. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch stated that it was an "obviously deliberate attack on civilians and therefore a war crime". "Direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks are absolutely prohibited under international humanitarian law and can constitute war crimes," said Aya Majzoub of Amnesty International. "Israel must not allow journalists to be killed and attacked with impunity. There must be an independent and impartial investigation into this deadly attack."
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The investigation conducted by Reuters and AFP revealed that Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed by an Israeli tank shell during a conflict between Lebanon and Israel. Following the attack, human rights organizations and other news agencies accused Israel of committing a war crime for targeting journalists.
Source: www.ntv.de
