• Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil killed and colleague injured during Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
• Lebanon's Prime Minister condemns strikes as war crimes, accusing Israel of targeting journalists.
• Emergency services blocked from aiding Khalil, trapped under rubble for hours after a second strike.
• CPJ and other organizations demand accountability for repeated violations of humanitarian law.
• Khalil’s death marks the ninth journalist killed in Lebanon this year amid ongoing regional conflicts.

An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on April 22 killed 43-year-old journalist Amal Khalil and critically wounded her colleague Zeinab Faraj. The attack took place in the village of al-Tayri, coinciding with a ceasefire agreement that had been brokered by the United States. Khalil was covering the aftermath of earlier Israeli strikes when a subsequent drone attack hit the house where she sought shelter, according to Lebanese authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and other reports Le Monde, BBC, India Times, and Middle East Eye.

The Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has publicly condemned the Israeli military for what he describes as deliberate targeting of journalists, labeling these actions war crimes. He emphasized that targeting media personnel while they perform their duties is seen as a systematic approach by Israel to obstruct the truth from reaching the public Al Jazeera, CBS News, and Los Angeles Times.

Initial reports indicate that Khalil and her colleague took refuge after the first strike killed two people near them. However, a second strike targeted the building where they were sheltering, trapping Khalil under the debris and leading to hours of difficulties for rescue teams trying to reach her. Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on rescuers, blocking access to the scene Le Monde, Middle East Eye, CBS News, and Los Angeles Times.

Calls for accountability from international organizations such as the CPJ have intensified, with demands for urgent investigations into the killing of Khalil and the need for protections for journalists in conflict zones. So far, officials have stated that the IDF does not intentionally target journalists, although many argue that this incident exemplifies a broader trend of hostility towards media workers within conflict areas BBC, Al Jazeera, CBS News, and Los Angeles Times.