Today, Friday, October 13, 2023, Reuters photographer and journalist Issam Abdullah was killed after an Israeli bombing targeted a group of journalists in the town of Alma Al-Shaab in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli occupation forces also directly targeted the Al Jazeera crew's car, causing it to burn completely and wounding journalists Carmen Joukhadar and Elie Brakhia.

It is worth noting that the journalists were on a hill to monitor events in southern Lebanon and were wearing signs identifying them as journalists, in addition to wearing helmets and press jackets, and they were not close to any military site.

Journalists Support Committee strongly condemns the killing of journalist Issam Abdullah and the injury of other journalists as a result of the direct targeting of the Israeli occupation. It emphasizes that this deliberate targeting constitutes a war crime according to Article 79 of the First Protocol issued in 1977 and attached to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which stipulates that journalists working in areas of armed conflict shall be treated as civilians. For journalists, this means prohibiting attacks and targeting by any party. The rules of international humanitarian law prohibit attacks on civilians and consider targeting them a war crime.

The Committee affirms that the repeated and ongoing attacks on journalists not only constitute a blatant violation of human rights, but also negatively affect the freedom of the press and the transparent transmission of news and events.