On January 21, an Israeli aircraft struck a jeep displaying the emblem of the Egyptian Committee in the Al-Zahraa area of central Gaza, near Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital at the road between Gaza and Al Moghraqa. Onboard were journalists Mohammed Qishta, Abdel Raouf Shaat, and Anas Ghanim, who were killed instantly. The Egyptian Committee, which operates directly under the Egyptian government, coordinates humanitarian aid in Gaza.

In total, five people were killed in the strike. Four of them were employees of the Egyptian Committee who were working in the area to report on a refugee camp in the Netzarim corridor. The three journalists were on an assignment sponsored by the Egyptian Committee, tasked with filming the tent encampments built by Egypt for displaced Palestinians, according to other local journalists who spoke to Reuters.

The aircraft specifically targeted a jeep bearing the Egyptian Committee logo and carrying accredited media professionals, in a zone that includes the largest camps overseen by the committee. They were reportedly covering the final preparations to open a refugees camp established by the Egyptian Relief Committee. The stuck vehicle was distinctly marked with the committee logo. The strike happened 1.8 km west of the Yellow Line, and 780 meters east of the IDP camp built by the Egyptian Relief Committee.

Available data confirmed both the identity of the vehicle and the mission it was carrying out, indicating that the attack was deliberate. Medical sources reported that one of the victims arrived at the hospital unrecognizable due to the intensity of the direct bombing.

According to Mohammed Mansour, the committee's spokesman, the bodies of two journalists were taken to the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, while the third body was taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital. Mansour said the journalists were documenting the committee's work in the newly established camp in the Netzarim area in central Gaza. He said the strike occurred about 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the Israeli-controlled area, that the vehicle was known to the Israeli military as belonging to the Egyptian committee. Video footage circulating online showed the charred, bombed-out vehicle by the roadside, smoke still rising from the wreckage, with debris scattered about.

Names of the martyrs:

1. Mohammed Salah Qashta
2. Abdelrauf Samir Shaat
3. Anas Ghanim

Journalist Abdelraouf Shaat:

Just weeks ago, friends were congratulating him on his wedding. He was known for his bravery after risking his life to save colleagues who were targeted by Israeli army shelling at the journalists’ camp near Nasser Medical Complex.

IDF spin:

IDF spokesman in first response to the "unusual" incident in the Gaza Strip: "Earlier today, IDF forces identified a number of suspects who operated a drone associated with the terrorist organization Hamas in the center of the Gaza Strip, in an area that threatens the forces". Immediately after the identification and in light of the risk the drone posed, the IDF targetedly attacked the suspects who operated the drone. The attack was carried out in accordance with the required chain of approvals. Details of the event under consideration".

Statements:

Palestinian factions, unions, and media bodies strongly condemned the killing of three journalists whose vehicle was targeted by Israeli forces while they were working in a shelter camp in central Gaza. All described the attack as a serious violation of the ceasefire and international law.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said the attack reflects a systematic policy to silence Palestinian voices and conceal crimes in Gaza. It classified the strike as both a war crime and a crime against humanity, held Israel fully responsible, and called on the International Criminal Court and UN bodies to take concrete action and ensure international protection for Palestinian journalists.

Hamas said the killings constitute a clear war crime and part of a systematic campaign against journalists and humanitarian operations, urging mediators—especially the United States—to intervene immediately and compel Israel to uphold the ceasefire.

Islamic Jihad rejected claims of a “field error,” calling the strike a deliberate political message aimed at sabotaging the ceasefire’s second phase, intimidating mediators—particularly Egypt—and imposing Israeli conditions through military escalation. It linked the attack to ongoing violations enabled by international inaction.

The Democratic Press Gathering described the killings as part of Israel’s broader war of genocide and an attempt to silence media exposing crimes against civilians. It called the targeting of journalists a war crime and urged international journalists’ unions and human rights organizations to act, provide protection, and pursue accountability in international courts.

AFP Statement: Agence France-Presse (AFP) called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of its freelance photojournalist, Abdel Raouf Shaath. In a statement released on Janary 22, the agency said: “A very large number of local journalists have been killed in the Gaza Strip over the past two years, while foreign journalists are still unable to enter the Strip freely.” AFP expressed its deep sorrow at the killing of 34-year-old photojournalist Abdel Raouf Shaath, who had been a regular freelance photographer with AFP for nearly two years and was well-liked by the AFP team covering Gaza.