Lebanese Journalist Amal Khalil Killed in Israeli Strikes While Covering Ceasefire, Critics Accuse Israel of Targeting Media, Israel Denies Claims

Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, while reporting on the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in southern Lebanon.

Khalil, a 43-year-old reporter for the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, was sheltering in a house in the village of al-Tiri when the strike occurred. Rescue workers said her body was retrieved from the rubble hours later.

A freelance photojournalist, Zeinab Faraj, was wounded in the same attack. The Lebanese Civil Defense released photos showing volunteers and workers carrying Khalil’s body from the site.

Her killing marks the ninth journalist killed in Lebanon this year, according to reports from Al-Akhbar and international press freedom monitors.

Critics and fellow journalists have accused Israel of deliberately targeting Khalil, citing her known presence in the area and her press identification. Mohamed Zanaty, a freelance journalist and friend of Khalil’s who was covering events nearby, said, “This was an assassination; this wasn’t by mistake. The Israeli military knew who she was, and they killed her.”

The Israeli military has not acknowledged Khalil’s death and denies accusations that it systematically targets journalists. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists described the killing as “outraged.”

Lebanese officials have echoed the accusations, stating that Israel’s actions reflect a broader pattern of targeting reporters, first observed in the Gaza Strip and now extending into Lebanon.

Mourners carried Khalil’s coffin through her hometown of Baysariyeh, draped in the Lebanese flag, with her press vest and helmet placed on top during the funeral procession on Thursday, April 23, 2026.