Israel Has Targeted And Killed This Lebanese Journalist And Injured Her Colleague In A “Double-Tap” Strike
Khalil is the ninth journalist killed by Israel in Lebanon in 2026.
Israel has targeted and killed veteran Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and injured her colleague Zeinab Faraj while they were reporting on Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon despite the “ceasefire.”
42-year-old Khalil, who works for Lebanese media Al Akhbar, has covered Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon for Al Akhbar since the 2006 war.
Lebanese officials said Khalil was killed in a “double-tap” strike.
On Wednesday, April 22, Khalil and her colleague Faraj, a freelance photojournalist, were reporting on Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.
While they were on their way, Isreal launched an attack on a vehicle that killed two people near the journalists’ car, prompting the journalists to take shelter in a nearby house.
Rescue workers initially tried to reach them but came under Israeli fire and were forced to withdraw, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health.
Israeli forces then launched another strike on the house where they were sheltering, leaving them trapped under the rubble.
Israel granted the Red Cross limited access to the site, and paramedics were able to evacuate Faraj, who reportedly sustained critical head injuries, and the two other people who were killed.
However, they were then forced to withdraw due to continued Israeli shelling and the direct firing on rescue crews and vehicles, according to news reports.
Khalil was last heard from at approximately 4:10 pm local time, when she called her family and the Lebanese military, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The Red Cross then had to wait for Israeli authorization to re-enter the site.
Khalil's body was recovered shortly before midnight, more than seven hours after the attack.
The head of the Union of Journalists in Lebanon said Israeli forces had sent Khalil a WhatsApp death threat in September 2024, warning her to stop reporting, according to CPJ.
The Israeli military denied blocking rescue teams and said it does not target journalists.
CPJ said Khalil's killing "must be a wake-up call for the international community to enforce international law, and hold all those responsible to account."
Khalil is the ninth journalist killed by Israel in Lebanon in 2026.
Less than a month ago, an Israeli strike targeted a marked media car in southern Lebanon, killing three journalists at once.
Cherry Mohamed
Sofia Hou
Cherry Mohamed
