Killing with impunity: the death of Amal Khalil in Lebanon

In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel talk to Yara Hawari, co-director of Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian policy network, about the dangers journalists face in the Middle East.Amal Khalil, a Lebanese journalist and reporter for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, was killed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in an airstrike on 22nd April. On the podcast, the three discuss the risks Amal faced as a long-term war correspondent and threats against her life which she had previously talked openly about.They also talk about the targeting of journalists by the Israeli government, and how it appears to act with impunity. They reflect on the IDF’s justifications for its attacks, which is says targets those linked to Hamas or Hezbollah. In 2025, Israel killed at least 84 media workers and journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.Alan, Lionel and Yara also discuss the risks of being a journalist in Lebanon or Gaza and the fact that foreign journalists are still having their entry barred. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.