By Roy Denish
Israel’s claim that a 2023 strike that killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was a “mistake” is under renewed scrutiny, with the Committee to Protect Journalists and multiple international investigations questioning how clearly identifiable journalists came under fire. Media groups continue to demand transparency, accountability, and an independent investigation into the attack.
NEW YORK — A media freedom organization on Friday rejected statements by Israel’s ambassador to France, who characterized a deadly October 2023 strike on journalists in southern Lebanon as a “mistake.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the explanation by Ambassador Joshua Laurent Zarka fails to justify why Israeli forces fired on a clearly identifiable group of media workers.
During an interview Thursday with France 2, Zarka said the Israeli military believed the journalists were “terrorists.” However, independent investigations show the group was visibly marked as press, operated openly on a hill, and had been stationary for an extended period.
The Oct. 13, 2023, double-tap strike killed Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six others.
“The Israeli ambassador’s explanation fails to answer the central question in this apparent war crime: why did Israeli forces repeatedly strike a group of journalists who were plainly identifiable as members of the press,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director.
Qudah called on Israeli authorities to release all evidence supporting the misidentification claim and to make the full findings of their internal investigation public.
The attack killed Abdallah and gravely injured Agence France-Presse photojournalist Christina Assi, whose right leg was amputated as a result. Five other journalists were also wounded: Thaer Al-Sudani, Elie Brakhya, Dylan Collins, Carmen Joukhadar, and Maher Nazeh.
The incident was the first documented case by CPJ of Israeli forces allegedly targeting journalists after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023.
Multiple independent organizations have disputed Israel’s account of the event. A March 2024 investigation by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon concluded an Israeli tank fired at “clearly identifiable” journalists in violation of international law, according to a Reuters review of the report. Separate investigations by AFP, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Reuters all concluded the attack appeared to be deliberate. Under international law, deliberate attacks on civilians constitute war crimes.
Since October 2023, CPJ reports it has determined that Israeli forces have directly targeted and killed 75 journalists and media workers, cases the organization classifies as murders.
“Acknowledging a ‘mistake’ is not a substitute for accountability,” Qudah said, urging a transparent and independent investigation to establish facts and ensure remedies.
