Our team can share with you our exclusive video investigation into the bombing raid on the border between Israel and Lebanon on 13 October that claimed the life of Reuters photo-journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six other journalists. The evidence gathered by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows that the journalists’ vehicle was targeted.
At around 6 p.m., two strikes, about 40 seconds apart, hit the exact spot on a hillside where the seven journalists were standing. Issam Abdallah was killed on the spot, while his six colleagues – who were reporting for Agence France-Presse and Al Jazeera – were all injured. They had been out in the open on the hillside for more than an hour in order to cover the clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. They were clearly identifiable by their helmets and bulletproof vests, which were marked “press,” as was their car.
According to the ballistic analysis carried out by RSF, the shots came from the east of where the journalists and their vehicle were located, from the direction of the Israeli border. Blamed for the incident by various witnesses, the Israel Defence Forces immediately said they were “sorry” and were “looking into it.” We will continue our investigation in order to identify those responsible and render justice to Issam Abdallah.
More than 20 journalists have already been killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, most of them by Israeli strikes in Gaza. This is unacceptable.
More than ever, we need your support in order to defend journalists who risk their lives to work in war zones with the sole aim of keeping us informed.