Amnesty International said yesterday that the Israeli strikes that killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah and wounded six others in southern Lebanon were likely a direct attack on civilians and must be investigated as a war crime.
Human Rights Watch (HRV) stated in a separate report that the two Israeli strikes were "obviously a deliberate attack on civilians and therefore a war crime", and that the perpetrators must be held accountable.
A Reuters investigation found that an Israeli tank crew killed Abdallah and wounded six other reporters by firing two shells at close range from Israel while the group filmed the cross-border shelling from a distance.
An Israeli government spokesman denied that Israeli forces targeted civilians.
All seven journalists from AFP, Al Jazeera and Reuters were wearing blue bulletproof vests and helmets, most with the word "PRESS" written in white letters, according to Reuters.
Direct targeting of civilians is prohibited under the laws of armed conflict, such as the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which have been ratified by all members of the United Nations.
Amnesty International said it had uncovered "grisly details that point to an attack on a group of international journalists doing their job reporting on the conflict."
HRV announced that the evidence indicates that the Israeli army "knew or should have known that the group they opened fire on was made up of civilians."
Neither Israel nor Lebanon are signatories to the International Criminal Court, whose 124 member states accept its jurisdiction in prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Reuters presented its findings to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that tank shells were fired from Israel and asked additional detailed questions, including whether Israeli troops knew they were shooting at journalists.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, the IDF's international spokesman, said in response, "We are not targeting journalists."
Lebanon has said it will send the Reuters and AFP reports to the United Nations Security Council to add to a complaint it has filed, alleging that Israel has killed civilians during ongoing clashes between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Najib Mikati, Lebanon's acting prime minister, said in a government statement issued in response to the published reports: "Israel's criminal behavior knows no bounds."
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