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An Israeli airstrike has killed three Palestinian journalists in Gaza City.

Mourners carry the body of one of the Palestinian journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan 21, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)

22 Jan 2026 05:18AM

GAZA CITY: An Israeli air strike killed an AFP freelancer and two other journalists in Gaza on Wednesday (Jan 21), the territory’s civil defence agency said, while the military said it struck "suspects" operating a drone.

Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored ceasefire in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations.

In a statement, the civil defence said three journalists were killed in an Israeli air strike in the Al-Zahra area southwest of Gaza City, naming the dead as Mohammed Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Shaat and Anas Ghneim.

Shaat had contributed regularly to AFP as a photo and video journalist, but at the time of the strike he was not on assignment for the agency.

In a statement, AFP said it was mourning the loss of Shaat, who would be remembered as a "kind-hearted colleague, with a gentle sense of humour, and as a deeply committed journalist".

"AFP demands a full and transparent investigation into his death," it said.

"Far too many local journalists have been killed in Gaza over the past two years while foreign journalists remain unable to enter the territory freely," the agency added.

In a statement, the Israeli military said troops had "identified several suspects who operated a drone affiliated with Hamas in the central Gaza Strip".

The military did not elaborate on what it meant by a "drone affiliated with Hamas".

"Due to the threat that the drone posed to the troops, the (Israeli military) precisely struck the suspects who activated the drone," it said, adding that the details were under review.

VEHICLE "CRIMINALLY TARGETED"

According to an eyewitness, the journalists were using a drone to take images of aid distribution by the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Gaza Strip when a strike targeted a vehicle accompanying them.

The Egyptian aid group confirmed one of its vehicles was targeted by Israel in a strike that killed three people.

"A vehicle belonging to the Egyptian Committee was targeted during a humanitarian mission, resulting in the martyrdom of three individuals," said Mohammed Mansour, a spokesman for the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Gaza Strip, adding that all vehicles belonging to the group "bear the committee’s logo".

"The Israeli army criminally targeted this vehicle" when the individuals were filming the Netzarim camp, Mansour said.

AFP footage showed the vehicle charred, with mangled remains lying in an open area.

Mourners hug each other during a funeral of one of the Palestinian journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan 21, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas called the strike "a dangerous escalation of the flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement."

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate condemned it as part of a "systematic and deliberate policy pursued by the Israeli occupation to intentionally target Palestinian journalists".

Israeli forces have killed at least 466 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority.

The Israeli military said militants have killed three of its soldiers during the same period.

Gaza’s health ministry said another eight Palestinians were also killed in Israeli attacks in the territory on Wednesday.

JOURNALISTS UNDER FIRE

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed "deep anger" at the strike that killed Shaat and his colleagues, while the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was "appalled".

"This isolated strike on journalists who were identifiable by their reporting equipment could indicate targeting and constitute a war crime," Martin Roux, head of RSF’s crisis desk was quoted as saying in a statement.

Israel’s advanced surveillance and targeting technology renders "any claims of misidentification implausible," Sara Qudah, the CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator was quoted in an X post as saying.

RSF said that Israeli forces killed at least 29 Palestinian journalists in Gaza between December 2024 and December 2025.

The deadliest single attack was a so-called "double-tap" strike on a hospital in south Gaza on August 25, which killed five journalists, including two contributors to international news agencies Reuters and the Associated Press.

Since Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023 sparked the war in Gaza, nearly 220 journalists have been killed by Israel, making the Palestinian territory by far the deadliest place for journalists, RSF data says.

The Israeli military claims that several journalists it targeted in Gaza had been "terrorists" affiliated with Palestinian militant groups.

Last week, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced the start of phase two of the Gaza ceasefire.

The strike on Wednesday came hours after the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had accepted an invitation to join US President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" aimed at resolving conflicts.

Source: AFP/fs