An Israeli tank crew killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah in Lebanon in October by firing two shells at a group of clearly marked journalists, then "likely" opened fire on them with a heavy machine gun during a 1 minute and 45 second attack, according to a report released today. The report by the Dutch research organization TNO, commissioned by Reuters to analyze the evidence of the October 13 attack that resulted in Issam's death, concluded that a tank from 1.34 kilometers away in Israel fired two 120mm shells at the reporters.
The first shell killed Issam (37 years old) and severely injured Agence France-Presse photographer Christina Assi (28 years old). The Reuters investigation noted the initial finding of the Dutch organization that a tank in Israel fired on the journalists. In its final report today, the organization revealed that audio captured by Al Jazeera's camera at the scene indicated that the reporters were also shot at with .50-caliber rounds typically used by Browning automatic rifles mounted on Israeli Merkava tanks.
The report stated, "The use of a Merkava tank’s machine gun against the journalists after firing two shells is a likely scenario." It added, "A definitive conclusion cannot be reached because the direction and precise distance of the (machine gun) fire cannot be determined." Reuters was unable to independently ascertain whether the Israeli tank crew was aware that they were firing at journalists or if they also fired upon them with a machine gun, and if so, why.
No surviving Reuters reporters or any other journalist from AFP at the scene recalled hearing machine gun fire. All stated they were in shock at the time. The Israeli military did not respond to requests for comment on any aspect of the attack on the journalists. When asked to comment on the Dutch organization's initial findings, the Israeli army stated, "We do not target journalists."
One day after Reuters published its investigation, the military claimed that the incident occurred in an active combat zone. International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on journalists as they enjoy the full protection granted to civilians and cannot be considered military targets.
Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni stated, "We condemn in the strongest terms the attack on a group of journalists who were clearly marked and working in an open area. The attack resulted in the death of our colleague Issam Abdallah and injured several others. We reiterate our calls for Israel to clarify how this could have happened and for those responsible to be held accountable."
