An Israeli tank killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in Lebanon last year by firing two 120mm bullets into a group of “clearly identifiable journalists” in violation of international law, a United Nations investigation into the incident concluded. October 13.
The investigation by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), summarized in a report seen and reported by Reuters on Wednesday, said its personnel did not record any exchange of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon for more than 40 minutes before the Israeli army Merkava tank opened fire.
“The shooting of civilians, in this case clearly identifiable journalists, constitutes a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and international law,” the UNIFIL report states, referring to Resolution 1701. of the Security Council.
The seven-page report dated February 27 further said: “It is considered that there was no exchange of gunfire across the Blue Line at the time of the incident. The reason for the strikes against journalists is unknown.”
Under Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to end the war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, UN peacekeepers were deployed to monitor a ceasefire along the 120 kilometer (75 kilometer) demarcation line. miles), or Blue Line, between Israel and Lebanon.
As part of their mission, UN troops record ceasefire violations and investigate the most egregious cases.
In addition to killing Abdallah, the two tank shots also wounded six other journalists at the scene, including two from Al Jazeera.
Audio captured by an Al Jazeera video camera at the scene showed that the journalists were also attacked with 0.50 caliber bullets of the type used by the Browning machine guns that can be mounted on Israel's Merkava tanks, probably from the same point. than the tank, a Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) reported last week.
The TNO report concluded that an Israeli tank crew “probably” opened machine gun fire on the group of journalists near the Lebanese border who were also targeted by shelling. An earlier report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) claimed that journalists were deliberately targeted, although it did not attribute responsibility to Israel.
When asked about the UNIFIL report, Israeli army spokesman Nir Dinar said Hezbollah had attacked the army near the Israeli community of Hanita on October 13. He responded with artillery and tank fire to eliminate the threat and later received a report that journalists had been injured.
“The IDF deplores any harm to uninvolved parties and does not deliberately shoot at civilians, including journalists,” Dinar said, referring to the Israeli military. “The IDF considers freedom of the press to be of utmost importance and makes it clear that being in a war zone is dangerous.”
He said the General Staff Investigation and Evaluation Mechanism, which is responsible for reviewing exceptional events, will continue to examine the incident.
According to the army website, the investigation team sends its reviews to the Israeli military's legal affairs department, which decides whether a case warrants a criminal investigation.
Reuters editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni has called on Israel to explain how the attack that killed Abdallah, 37, could have happened and to hold those responsible accountable. Al Jazeera has also urged the Israeli government to reveal the results of its own investigation, noting after the publication of the TNO report that the “incident clearly indicates intentional targeting, as confirmed by investigations.”
The UNIFIL report was sent to the UN in New York on February 28 and has been shared with the Lebanese and Israeli armies, two people familiar with the matter said.
“[The] “The IDF should conduct an investigation into the incident and a complete review of its procedures at that time to prevent its recurrence,” the report says in its recommendations. “The IDF should share the results of its investigation with UNIFIL.”
A UN spokesperson confirmed that the UNIFIL report had been shared with the parties.
“We reiterate that all actors must comply with their obligations under international law and that civilians, including journalists, should never be a target. Journalists and media professionals must be protected,” said the spokesperson.
For its investigation, UNIFIL sent a team to the site on October 14 and also received contributions from the Lebanese armed forces and an anonymous witness who was present on the hill when the attacks occurred, according to the report.
Details of incidents in UNIFIL's area of operations are included in regular reports by the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. However, UNIFIL investigations are not usually made public and Reuters could not determine whether there would be any UN follow-up.
UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said he was not in a position to discuss the investigation.
The UNIFIL findings lend further support to a Reuters investigation published on December 7 that showed that seven journalists from the AFP news agency, Al Jazeera and Reuters were hit by two 120mm shells fired by a tank at 1, 34 kilometers (0.8 mi) away in Israel.
The group of reporters had been filming cross-border shelling from a distance in an open area on a hill near the Lebanese village of Alma ash-Shaab for almost an hour before the attack.
The next day, the Israeli military said it already had footage of the incident and that it was being investigated. The military has not released a report on its findings to date.
UNIFIL said in its report that it sent a letter and a questionnaire to the Israeli military requesting their help. The Israeli military responded, but did not respond to the questionnaire.
Reuters said it had not seen a copy of the Israeli military's letter, the contents of which were summarized in the UNIFIL report.
Israel's war on Gaza is one of the deadliest on record for journalists, with more reporters killed in the first 10 weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks than have ever been killed in a single country in an entire year. , according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. (CPJ).
Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abudaqa was killed by an Israeli strike on December 15 while reporting at the Farhana school in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. He was left to bleed to death when the Israeli army prevented emergency workers from reaching the scene.
As of Wednesday, at least 95 journalists and media workers – most of them Palestinians – have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, according to CPJ's preliminary investigations.
