On 13th October, the Journalist Christina Assi was reporting from the south of Lebanon for AFP (Agence-France Presse) News Agency, with 6 of her colleagues when they were hit by a 120mm shell from an Israeli Tank. Seconds later they were hit again1. Issam Abdullah of Reuters was killed and everyone else was injured. Christina Assi lost her leg.
None of the journalists expected anything like this would happen that day. They were all what was deemed to be a safe distance from the frontline, in an exposed area monitored by drones, and they were clearly marked out as press. A freelance journalist friend of mine was also in the same village in the south that day and ended up outside the hospital Christina was in, involved in the effort to get accurate information to the injured journalists’ colleagues and friends. I remember the calls circulating on WhatsApp and social media for people to give blood urgently for Christina. Beirut has a community feel and even many who did not know Issam Abdullah personally, mourned his loss. People anxiously hoped and prayed for Christina.
Five separate investigations by AFP News, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters without Borders, and TNO Research on behalf of Reuters all conclude that Israel deliberately targeted these journalists, which constitutes a war crime. The extensive evidence can be found online (see links below).
Last week we got to hear Christina Assi speak live on a very special episode of the Beirut Banyan podcast.
“I want to know the face, and I want to know the name of who was behind the attack. Who was the guy sitting in this merkava tank and chose to press the button and ..change our entire lives? We know it’s the IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] but who was it exactly?”
Christina Assi
Christina said she “woke up boiling with rage” but that realistically, at least for the meanwhile she thinks it’s very unlikely there will be any justice or accountability; but she also said that she would not let this experience stop her from pursuing her dreams and continuing her journalism work.
It’s a tribute to Christina that despite everything she is going through, she was able to joke around and make us laugh. Her honesty, strength, and determination are inspiring. Christina Assi, you’re a real hero. We are with you.
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Investigations
Amnesty International
More information on the Amnesty International investigation and it’s methodology can be found here.
AFP News Agency
The AFP News Agency investigation report can be found here.
Human Rights Watch
Read more on the Human Rights Watch investigation.
Reporters without Borders
Read and watch a video about their video investigation here.
Reuters and TNO Research
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (TNO Research) carried out an analysis of the incident on behalf of Reuters and published their report on March 7, 2024.
- The weapon used for the second strike is unconfirmed but thought to be either another 120mm shell from the same tank (TNO Research and Reuters), or a small guided missile (Amnesty International). It hit the group 37 seconds after the first strike. They were also subject to ammunition fire. ↩︎
The Beirut Bulbul. 