The findings were presented at a press conference in Beirut on Thursday by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and The Legal Agenda, which investigated the killing of Khalil, a field correspondent for Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper.

The investigation described the incident as involving serious violations, noting that the two men killed at the beginning of the attack were not wanted individuals, contrary to claims by the Israeli military.

During the conference, the organisations presented a detailed video reconstruction of the attack. They said Israeli drones initially identified journalists Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj before targeting the building where they had taken shelter in the southern Lebanese town of Taybeh. Khalil was killed and Faraj was seriously wounded.

Amnesty International researcher Sahar Mandour said the investigation concluded that the Israeli military had confirmed the two women were civilians but targeted them nonetheless after unilaterally designating the area as an operational zone. Such a designation does not make civilians there lawful targets.

She added that international law prohibits the targeting of civilians during military operations, noting that Khalil and Faraj were attacked while attempting to shelter inside a house.

Mandour said investigations into alleged war crimes are intended not only to ensure accountability but also to prevent such acts from being repeated or normalised.

Evidence and witness testimony

A Human Rights Watch representative said the Israeli strikes that killed Amal Khalil included attacks against civilians and civilian objects, which could amount to war crimes. The representative added that the International Committee of the Red Cross attempted to evacuate the journalists, but Israel refused to allow access to the site. This indicates that Israeli forces were aware of the civilians’ presence.

The report was based on testimony from several people, including journalist Zeinab Faraj, another journalist who had been in contact with Amal Khalil shortly before her death, two paramedics and three people involved in requesting Red Cross access to the site.

The organisation also reviewed more than 35 photographs supplied by medical teams documenting the site of the attack, including images taken from a Lebanese army position about two kilometres away.

According to the report, Israel has killed 11 Lebanese journalists since 2023, in addition to hundreds of journalists killed in the Gaza Strip.