Egyptian Relief Committee and AFP slam Israeli attack that killed three journalists in Gaza
Israel is facing growing international condemnation after it struck a vehicle belonging to the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza, killing three Palestinian journalists, including a freelancer for Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The reporters, identified as Mohammad Salah Qishta, Abdul Raouf Samir Shaat and Anas Ghanem, were killed when their vehicle was targeted while they were filming at a camp for displaced Palestinians run by the Egyptian relief group in central Gaza.
In a statement, AFP mourned Shaat, who was a contributor to the agency, and demanded a "full and transparent investigation" into the attack.
"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 added.
The Government Media Office in Gaza reported that this brings the number of journalists killed by Israel since October 2023 to 260.
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The Israeli military confirmed the strike, claiming it targeted suspects allegedly operating a drone affiliated with Hamas.
During the tw0-year genocidal war on Gaza, Israel regularly made unfounded claims that it had targeted reporters for allegedly taking part in militant activities.
Mohammed Mansour, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Relief Committee, said the Israeli army "criminally targeted this vehicle". 
"A vehicle belonging to the Egyptian Committee was targeted during a humanitarian mission, resulting in the martyrdom of three individuals," he said, adding that all the vehicles belonging to the relief group bear its logo.
Another source at the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that several of its members, including photographers, were on a field assignment before the strike to document its camps near the Netzarim area, a corridor that was created by Israel to monitor Palestinians.
He described the attacks as a "dangerous precedent" and stressed it was "part of the ongoing provocations aimed at undermining the current efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip".
Since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, Israel has repeatedly violated the agreement, carrying out hundreds of deadly air strikes, arresting civilians, demolishing homes and restricting aid.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said it recorded 1,300 Israeli violations in the first 100 days of the ceasefire, bringing the number of Palestinians killed since the war began in October 2023 to more than 71,500 and over 171,300 wounded.
'Worst enemy of journalists'
The attack on Wednesday brought widespread criticism from media professionals, rights groups and internet users alike.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate lambasted what it described as a "deliberate assassination" by the Israeli army.
"The Syndicate affirmed that targeting journalists while performing their professional duties is part of a policy adopted by the Israeli occupation to silence the Palestinian voice, prevent the transmission of truth, and conceal crimes committed against civilians in the Gaza Strip," it said.
Independent journalist Barry Malone highlighted the ongoing Israeli attacks in a post on X, writing: "There is no ceasefire. There never was."
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described the Israeli army as “the worst enemy of journalists” in its annual report published in December, with nearly half of all reporter killings worldwide recorded in Gaza.
The group said that of the 67 media professionals killed over the past year, 43 percent were killed by Israel, making the Palestinian territories the most dangerous place in the world for journalists.
According to RSF, the Israeli army is the primary perpetrator of journalist deaths, ahead of cartels and organised crime groups (24 percent) and the Russian army (four percent).
“Under Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, the Israeli army has carried out a massacre - unprecedented in recent history - of the Palestinian press,” RSF said in its latest report.
“To justify its crimes, the Israeli military has mounted a global propaganda campaign to spread baseless accusations portraying Palestinian journalists as terrorists.”
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