Israeli strike kills three journalists in Gaza, civil defence agency says

Three journalists were killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza on Wednesday, the Palestinian territory's civil defence agency said. Israel has been the biggest killer of journalists for three years running, Reporters Without Borders data shows, with the country's forces killing 220 media professionals since the war in Gaza began.


Issued on: 21/01/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

People carry the body of the Palestinian photographer Anas Ghneim, who was killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle on January 21, 2026. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP



An Israeli strike in the centre of Gaza killed three journalists on Wednesday, including a freelancer who regularly contributed for AFP, the Palestinian territory's civil defence agency said, despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

In a statement, the civil defence said "the bodies of the three journalists killed in an Israeli air strike in the Al-Zahra area southwest of Gaza City were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah".

It named the dead as Mohammed Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Shaat and Anas Ghneim.

Israel says will bar several NGOs from Gaza, FRANCE 24 speaks to MSF

 Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses storing aid for Gaza in Arish 

REUTERS - Benoit Tessier
09:27

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


Israeli forces have killed at least 466 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, with the Israeli military saying that militants have killed three of its soldiers during the same period.

READ MOREIsraeli strikes kill at least 13 in Gaza, including children, civil defence says

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.

The Israeli military said it was checking the reports.

The civil defence, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, said in an earlier statement that an Israeli drone strike had targeted "a civilian vehicle" near Al-Zahra.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said that Israeli forces killed at least 29 Palestinian journalists in Gaza between December 2024 and December 2025.

The most deadly single attack was a "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.

Israel the biggest killer of journalists worldwide for 3 years running, says RSF

In total, nearly 220 journalists have died since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, making Israel the biggest killer of journalists worldwide for three years running, RSF data shows.

Last week, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced the start of phase two of the Gaza ceasefire, saying it aimed to pave the way for reconstruction and the demilitarisation of all armed factions in the territory.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)