A Reuters journalist has been killed by an Israeli bomb that struck southern Lebanon.
Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah was killed in the strike and six others were wounded.
Journalists Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh were also injured by the blast and are currently receiving medical attention.
Abdallah and others were working on providing a livestream of the shelling when they were hit.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” Reuters said in a statement.
The statement added, “We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region, and supporting Issam’s family and colleagues.”
The moment he was struck was captured on the livestream, though it did not show the incident itself. The feed has since been taken down.
LIVE VIDEO REMOVAL: We have removed a live feed of the Lebanon-Israel border due to graphic content. You can find full coverage of the situation here: https://t.co/QJ0TSxaNHO
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 13, 2023
Insider reports, “a loud, piercing bang could be heard as the rocket apparently struck the area. It’s followed by screams as smoke and debris cloud the area.”
“A woman can be heard shouting, asking ‘What happened?’ and screaming, ‘I can’t feel my legs!’ repeatedly. A man’s voice is also heard in the background screaming and swearing,” the report added. “Additional footage shared by open source information accounts on X showed that the artillery had apparently exploded near the journalists’ location, with a patch of the road nearby in flames. In the video, a man attempts to help an injured woman, who wears a vest emblazoned with the word ‘press’, up from the ground.”
At least 11 journalists have been killed since the conflict began, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“In the first seven days of fighting, at least 11 journalists were killed, two were missing and two injured. In the same period, the conflict claimed more than 3,000 lives on both sides and resulted in many thousands of injuries,” the organization reports.
“Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict in the face of a ground assault by Israeli troops, devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, and extensive power outages. In the first seven days of the conflict, nine Palestinian journalists have been confirmed dead; one Israeli journalist has been confirmed killed and one reported missing. On October 13, a Beirut-based journalist was killed during a shelling attack in southern Lebanon.”
Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator said in a statement, “CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties. Journalists are making great sacrifices across the region covering this important conflict. Measures to ensure their safety must be taken by all parties to stop this deadly and heavy toll.”
