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"Lebanese journalists protested in Beirut after journalist Amal Khalil, a reporter for the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Footage filmed in Martyrs' Square on Thursday shows protesters gathering, holding photos of their slain colleagues and banners reading slogans such as 'Targeting journalists is a war crime' and 'Give the International Criminal Court jurisdiction now' to condemn what they called deliberate targeting of journalists by Israel. Media personnel were also seen covering the protest. Elsi Mufarrij, President of the Union of Journalists in Lebanon, said that Khalil is the 11th Lebanese journalist killed in Israeli strikes, calling for evidence to be documented at the national level. In her speech, she also demanded that the International Criminal Court be granted jurisdiction to investigate alleged Israeli war crimes. Fatima Shukair, a journalist and colleague of Amal Khalil at Al-Akhbar, described her as a “mentor who always fulfilled her duties,” praising her professionalism, perseverance, and dedication. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Wednesday that an Israeli strike hit a vehicle in the town of Al-Tiri that was travelling in front of Khalil and her colleague’s car, killing two people. It was also reported that the two journalists then fled towards a building to take shelter before another Israeli strike hit. Khalil was killed while her colleague Zeinab Faraj was injured. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and other officials condemned the inciden accusing Israel of deliberately targeting journalists. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported that rescue workers who tried to reach the journalists also came under fire forcing them to withdraw. The reporter's body was pulled from the rubble hours afterwards according to media reports. The Israeli army said in a statement that it had identified two vehicles leaving a building it claimed was used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It added that "armed men crossed the front defence line and approached the troops in a manner constituting a direct threat." The statement said Israeli forces targeted one of the vehicles and then the building where the alleged Hezbollah 'terrorists' had fled prior, stressing that the army 'does not target journalists'. Meanwhile, Information Minister Paul Morcos offered condolences to her family and colleagues while stressing that targeting journalists is a crime and a violation of international humanitarian law. Khalil is the eigth journalists killed in Lebanon this year. This comes amid a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, announced by US President Donald Trump on April 16 following talks hosted in Washington between officials from both sides."
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