The Organization Condemns Israeli Occupation Crimes Against Journalists and Urges the International Community to Fulfill Its Responsibilities in Halting Israeli Occupation Crimes in Lebanon
The Organization Condemns Israeli Occupation Crimes Against Journalists and Urges the International Community to Fulfill Its Responsibilities in Halting Israeli Occupation Crimes in Lebanon
The Arab Organization for Human Rights condemns the tragic deaths of photojournalist Ghassan Najjar and broadcast engineer Mohammad Al-Rida, both working for Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen TV, as well as photographer Wissam Qassem, who worked for Al-Manar TV. Additionally, it expresses grave concern over the injury of Ahmed Sinjab, a correspondent for Cairo News. The three journalists were killed when the Israeli occupation forces launched an airstrike on their residence in Hasbaya, southeast Lebanon, near the Syrian border, despite the residence being clearly marked with press insignia. The targeted residence housed 18 journalists working for seven media organizations, and, according to eyewitnesses, the building was directly struck by a missile. Lebanese media sources report that the attack resulted in numerous, yet unconfirmed, casualties.
Since September 23, 2024, journalists in Lebanon have been at increasing risk from Israeli strikes. At least 30 journalists have evacuated their homes in areas targeted by Israeli occupation forces, including Southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley in the east, and Beirut’s southern suburbs. On September 13, 2024, Amal Khalil, a war correspondent for the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, received death threats from an Israeli phone number, stating, “We know where you are, and we will reach you when the time comes,” followed by, “I suggest you flee to Qatar or elsewhere if you want to keep your head on your shoulders.”
The recent occupation crime is part of a sustained pattern in which Israeli occupation forces have intentionally targeted journalists and media workers to intimidate them and prevent them from documenting the violations committed during military operations. In the initial weeks following the start of the 2023 campaign of mass violence in Gaza, Israeli occupation forces repeatedly targeted journalists in Lebanon. On November 21, 2023, Farah Omar, a reporter for Al-Mayadeen, and cameraman Rabie Amari were killed. Earlier, on October 13, 2023, photojournalist Issam Abdullah was killed while covering the border confrontations. Reporters Without Borders confirmed that Israel had deliberately killed the photographer, noting that around 4:30 pm, Israeli helicopters were observed hovering over the area, fully identifying the journalists by their visible press helmets and vests. At approximately 6:00 pm, Israeli helicopters were again seen flying over the location, followed by two strikes on the journalists’ position within a 37-second interval. The first strike killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdullah and injured Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist Christina Assi, while the second strike set Al Jazeera’s vehicle ablaze, injuring its journalists Carmen Joukhadar and Elia Brakhya, along with their AFP colleague Dylan Collins. The report confirmed that both strikes originated from within Israeli territory.
Since the onset of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in early October 2024, approximately 2,593 people have been killed, with over 12,000 injured, including a significant number of women and children, and more than one and a half million people have been displaced.
The Arab Organization for Human Rights condemns these crimes, which amount to war crimes, as well as Israel’s ongoing violations of international human rights law principles, particularly Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which safeguard the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to access, disseminate, and share information. The organization further denounces the international community’s inaction on these crimes, stressing that the assassination of journalists represents an attack on truth, which the Israeli occupation seeks to suppress and conceal.
The organization calls on the international community to intervene immediately to halt the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation in Lebanon and urges action to ensure Israel’s compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006, which mandates an end to Israeli military operations that violate Lebanon’s territorial sovereignty, and to implement measures that will prevent the region from sliding into wider war. Furthermore, it calls on the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli occupation crimes in Lebanon and to pursue necessary actions against Israeli leaders responsible for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
