An artillery shell reportedly landed near a group of journalists on Friday, killing one and injuring others. Initial reports claim that the shell was fired from Israel.
An Israeli shell landed in a gathering of international journalists covering clashes on the border in south Lebanon, killing one and leaving six others injured. In Associated Press photographer at the scene saw the body of the dead journalist and the six who were wounded, some of whom were rushed to hospitals in ambulances. Images from the scene showed a charred car.
Qatar’s Al-Jazeera TV, said two of its employees, Elie Brakhya and reporter Carmen Joukhadar, were among the wounded. The Associated Press is not naming the other outlets whose journalists were killed or injured until they make public statements on the matter.
The shelling occurred during an exchange of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border between Israeli troops and members of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group.
The dead journalist has been identified as a Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah:
— Reuters Press Team (@ReutersPR) October 13, 2023
Two other Reuters employees have been identified as being among the wounded.
Reuters said it is working with authorities in the region to obtain more information on the strike that killed Abdallah and to support his family and colleagues.
Reuters journalists Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh were also injured and are seeking medical care, Reuters said.
The Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah has targeted border posts along the border with Israel; the Israel Defense Forces have responded with direct and indirect fire from tanks and artillery.
At present, most of the embedded journalists from major media outlets covering the Israel-Hamas war have been operating within Israel itself. The coverage within the Gaza Strip has mostly been from local, presumably Hamas-controlled sources.
In the last year, 67 journalists and associated media personnel have been killed covering conflicts worldwide. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, at least fifteen journalists were killed while covering the fighting.
History is replete with examples of journalists going into harm’s way to cover conflict. During the Second World War, famed movie producer John Ford personally filmed combat on Midway Island, where he was wounded by a Japanese machine-gun bullet during the Imperial Navy air assault on the island. Ford also landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, where he filmed the operation from behind beach obstacles. Also in the Second World War, the famous reporter Ernie Pyle covered operations in both theaters before being killed by a Japanese machine-gun bullet while covering Army operations on the island of Ie Shima, part of the Okinawa campaign. Pyle was buried with his helmet on, in a graveyard on the island among Army casualties; he was laid to rest between an infantry private and a combat engineer.
