DUBAI: A recent report looking into the death of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil has found that Israeli forces allegedly prevented ambulance crews from reaching her for nearly four hours following an Israeli airstrike.
Khalil, a 43-year-old correspondent for the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, was reporting near the southern Lebanese town of Al-Tiri with a fellow journalist when an Israeli strike hit a vehicle near theirs on April 22.
Both journalists survived the initial strike and exited their vehicle, but Khalil was wounded and took cover inside a nearby home.
A reported reconstruction of Khalil’s final hours found that rescue teams remained approximately 8 km away awaiting permission to save Khalil. A brief phone call between Khalil and her colleague indicated she was conscious at the time but struggling.
The Lebanese Red Cross, the Lebanese Armed Forces, UN Interim Force in Lebanon, and the Israeli military were coordinating a safe passage for the evacuation.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, rescue efforts were obstructed when “the enemy prevented the completion of the humanitarian mission, firing a stun grenade at the ambulance and targeting it with gunfire,” making it impossible to evacuate Khalil.
The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders also intervened, urgently contacting the Israeli military to request a halt to airstrikes and permission for rescue crews to reach the scene.
At 5:30 pm, an Israeli military spokesperson reportedly responded: “I’ll look into it.”
According to Lebanon’s Union of Journalists, Khalil’s body was recovered shortly before midnight after Lebanese army personnel, civil defense teams, and Red Cross workers were finally granted access.
The Israeli military has denied targeting journalists or blocking rescue efforts and said the incident was under review.
Lebanese officials and press freedom groups condemned the incident, with the Committee to Protect Journalists stating that Khalil remained trapped for more than seven hours while medical teams were unable to reach her.
