Three journalists are dead after Israel said it carried out an airstrike on Wednesday targeting suspected Hamas threats in Gaza.
The development came as eight other journalists were also reportedly killed in strikes, marking one of the deadliest days in the region since President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between Gaza and Israel last October. The agreement moved into its second phase last week but still faces sweeping challenges, as it requires Hamas to disarm and Israeli forces to retreat from Gaza.
Abed Shaat, Mohammed Salah Qashta, and Anas Ghneim were using a drone to film images of aid distribution managed by the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Gaza Strip when a strike targeted a vehicle accompanying them, according to AFP. Shaat, a cameraman, had contributed regularly both to AFP and CBS News, the latter outlet said.
The Israeli military said it believed it was targeting suspects affiliated with Hamas, the terrorist group that has controlled Gaza.
Troops “identified several suspects who operated a drone affiliated with Hamas in the central Gaza Strip, in a manner that posed a threat to their safety,” the Israel Defense Forces said. “Following the identification and due to the threat that the drone posed to the troops, the IDF precisely struck the suspects who activated the drone.”
The Egyptian Relief Committee confirmed one of its vehicles was targeted in a deadly strike and accused Israel of criminal action. Spokesman Mohammed Mansour claimed that all the group’s vehicles “bear the committee’s logo.”
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AFP demanded an investigation into the matter.
“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 press agency said.
