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SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom - Samir Kassir Foundation

War Crime in Hasbaya: Israeli Army’s Targeted Assault on Journalists

Saturday , 26 October 2024

On October 25, 2024, Israeli warplanes launched an attack on a residential complex in Hasbaya, South Lebanon, housing several journalists. The strike killed Al-Manar TV cameraman Wissam Qassem, Al-Mayadeen TV cameraman Ghassan Najjar, and broadcast engineer Mohammad Reda. The assault also seriously wounded Al-Qahera TV cameraman Hassan Hoteit, ISOL Media Production Company photographer Zakaria Fadel, and MTV correspondent Youmna Fawaz, while destroying their equipment, vehicles, and accommodation.


The Samir Kassir Foundation’s SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom unequivocally condemns this deliberate targeting of journalists, attacked without warning in the hotel resort they were using while they slept. We consider this assault a grave war crime by the Israeli army against the media in Lebanon, a stark continuation of oppressive and brutal practices aimed at silencing journalists. This targeted attack is part of a broader pattern of systematic Israeli violations, as Israeli consistently targets and kills journalists to prevent exposure of daily crimes against defenseless civilians. More than 180 journalists, photographers, and media professionals have been killed in the Gaza Strip in one year.


This assault on media personnel underscores an ongoing disregard for international laws and conventions that protect journalists, especially in conflict zones. Despite repeated condemnations, the Israeli army continues to act with impunity, showing no fear of accountability or repercussions, enabled by the international community’s inaction. SKeyes stresses that verbal denunciations and formal condemnations are insufficient; without firm and decisive measures to hold perpetrators accountable, such heinous crimes against journalists will persist.

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