One hour: The time window that cost a reporter her life

A ceasefire in Lebanon was broken in late April, leaving two journalists stranded in a village after a missile strike. The delay in rescue operations lasted for one hour, a window in which one of them died.

Zeinab Faraj, 21, and Amal Khalil, 42, were documenting the aftermath of airstrikes in the village of al-Tiri on April 22. They traveled with Ali Nabil Bazzi, a municipal official, and Mohammed Hourani, a friend of the mayor. The group was moving from Tebnine governmental hospital, a location locals considered safe, toward other areas in the south.

The first missile hit the car carrying Bazzi and Hourani. Faraj and Khalil exited their vehicle to assess the damage. Faraj attempted to approach the burning car to check on Bazzi. While the women made calls to emergency services, a second missile struck their car. The impact threw both women backward. Khalil sustained visible injuries to her face, hand, and leg.

Drones circled low overhead during the attack. Faraj and Khalil took shelter in a nearby house. Khalil could not move, so Faraj crawled to a position where she could watch the road. She sent a final message to her sister: "There is no hope left. Forgive me." Her phone then died. Faraj was later trapped under rubble after another strike hit the building.

Rescue teams were prevented from reaching the site for approximately one hour. The Israeli military identified the attackers as saboteurs violating the ceasefire. Human rights groups classified the incident as a war crime. During the delay, the Israeli military received repeated messages urging them to permit a rescue operation. A week prior to the attack, an Israeli military spokesperson had shared a video of Khalil and described her as "terrorist media."

Paramedics reached Faraj after the hour-long wait. They pulled her from the rubble while drones continued to circle. Khalil is believed to have died about an hour before the paramedics were allowed to return to the area. Faraj asked for Khalil at the hospital. The nurses remained silent, confirming her death.

Faraj is now preparing to return to university. She has visible injuries to her hand and face. One eyebrow has limited movement, and she walks with a limp. She wakes at night screaming and hears drones in everyday sounds. The image of Hourani lying on the ground with his eyes open remains fixed in her memory.