• Human rights groups are calling for a war crimes investigation into Israel's killing of journalist Amal Khalil.
• Khalil was killed during an Israeli attack while reporting in southern Lebanon on April 22.
• Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch assert that the Israeli military knew they were targeting civilians.
• Israeli authorities claim the strikes aimed at Hezbollah operatives but deny targeting journalists.
• Reports indicate that Israeli forces obstructed rescue efforts for Khalil and her colleague, Zeinab Faraj.

The April 22 attack that killed journalist Amal Khalil and seriously injured her colleague Zeinab Faraj in southern Lebanon is being described by multiple human rights organizations as an apparent war crime. Reports from Le Monde, BBC, and Al Jazeera confirm that Khalil, a reporter for al-Akhbar newspaper, was targeted while covering the events in the town of al-Tiri amidst a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit the vehicle in which Khalil and Faraj were traveling, forcing them to seek refuge in a nearby building that was later bombed. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International highlighted that evidence shows the strikes amounted to deliberate attacks on civilians. The groups assert that Israeli forces "knew or should have known" the women were civilians, given the extensive surveillance conducted by Israeli drones at the site, as noted by reports from BBC and Al Jazeera.

The Israeli military has denied intentionally targeting journalists, claiming the strikes were directed towards Hezbollah operatives. However, HRW's analysis indicated that the bombings occurred despite a request from the Lebanese Red Cross for safe passage to evacuate the journalists, which was communicated through the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), according to Le Monde and BBC.

Furthermore, as first responders attempted to reach Khalil after the attack, they reported being impeded by Israeli forces who fired a stun grenade at them, preventing any immediate rescue. Photographic evidence showed damage to the emergency vehicles that was consistent with small arms fire, underscoring the alleged obstruction of humanitarian efforts highlighted by reports from Al Jazeera and BBC.

In light of these findings, there are growing calls for an independent investigation into the incident, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemning the attack on journalists as a violation of international law and characterizing them as war crimes, as reported by Le Monde, BBC, and Al Jazeera.