UN specialists say Israel ’emboldened by impunity’ for earlier journalist killings in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Financial institution.
Printed On 2 Apr 2026
Three United Nations specialists have known as for an unbiased and thorough investigation into Israel’s latest killing of three journalists in Lebanon, denouncing the lethal incident as “one other egregious assault on press freedom by Israeli forces”.
UN particular rapporteurs Irene Khan, Morris Tidball-Binz and Ben Saul on Thursday famous that “journalists finishing up their skilled duties in armed battle are civilians and should not be focused or made the item of assault”.
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“The deliberate killing of journalists in a roundabout way collaborating in hostilities constitutes a severe violation of worldwide human rights and humanitarian legislation and a struggle crime,” they mentioned in a statement.
The Israeli navy killed Al Mayadeen journalist Fatima Ftouni, her brother, freelance photojournalist Mohamad Ftouni, and Al-Manar’s Ali Shoaib in a targeted strike on their car in southern Lebanon on March 28.
Al Mayadeen and Al-Manar are pro-Hezbollah media retailers, and Israel accused Shoaib – with out presenting any proof – of being a fighter with the Lebanese armed group.
That declare was rejected by Shoaib’s colleagues in addition to by the UN specialists, who on Thursday additionally confused that working for media retailers affiliated with an armed group doesn’t imply journalists are straight collaborating in hostilities underneath worldwide legislation.
“Israeli officers know this, but they select to disregard it – emboldened by impunity for his or her earlier killings of journalists in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Financial institution,” they mentioned.
In February, the Committee to Defend Journalists (CPJ) reported that Israel was chargeable for two-thirds of all killings of journalists in 2024 and 2025.
Greater than 60 p.c of the 86 members of the press killed by Israeli hearth final yr have been Palestinian journalists reporting from the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s genocidal war within the coastal enclave, the advocacy group discovered.
After the killings in southern Lebanon final week, CPJ’s Center East director Sara Qudah additionally warned that Lebanon is changing into “an more and more lethal zone for journalists, regardless of their standing as civilians who should not be focused”.
“We’ve seen a disturbing sample on this struggle and within the many years prior of Israel accusing journalists of being lively combatants and terrorists with out offering credible proof,” Qudah mentioned in a statement.
“Journalists are usually not reputable targets, whatever the outlet they work for.”
The UN specialists additionally warned that Israel’s killing of Lebanese journalists is a part of “an abominable push … to silence reporting on Israel’s present navy motion in Lebanon, and shut down information protection of struggle crimes dedicated, simply because it did in Gaza”.
At the least 1,345 folks have been killed and 4,040 wounded in intensified Israeli assaults throughout Lebanon since early March, based on the Lebanese Ministry of Well being.
