Three Years After the Strike That Maimed Me, I Demand Accountability

We spent that day documenting the border, identifiable by our press vests and a vehicle marked with television insignia. A drone hovered above us for an hour before the first 120mm shell hit. A second strike followed shortly after, a tactic consistent with a pattern of violence against media workers in the region. Since that day, I have watched dozens of journalists killed in Lebanon and nearly 200 in Gaza, often dismissed by Israeli officials as collateral damage or alleged combatants.

Independent investigations by Reuters, AFP, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and UNIFIL have dismantled the claim that we were mistaken for fighters. These reports found no military activity at the site for 40 minutes prior to the assault. Despite this overwhelming evidence, legal avenues remain blocked. Lebanon has failed to pursue the case through the International Criminal Court, and recent diplomatic agreements between Beirut and Tel Aviv have further complicated the path to prosecution.

The European Union holds the diplomatic and economic leverage necessary to break this silence. Rhetorical support for press freedom is insufficient when those responsible for targeted strikes operate without consequence. I am calling on EU member states to move beyond statements and use available mechanisms, including targeted sanctions or trade suspensions, to compel Israel to disclose who authorized the strike on our group. The truth behind the order is not a geopolitical abstraction; it is a fundamental requirement for the families of the dead and for those of us living with the physical toll of that day.