Three journalists, including 30-year-old cameraman Abed Shaat who worked with CBS News, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Al-Zahra, southwest of Gaza City. The IDF said it struck suspects it said had operated a drone; eyewitnesses and the Egyptian Relief Committee say a vehicle involved in a humanitarian mission was hit. The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate condemned the strike, and Gaza's health ministry reported dozens more casualties since the October ceasefire.
Three Journalists Killed in Gaza Airstrike, Including CBS Cameraman Abed Shaat
A crowd gathers for the funeral procession for journalists Enes Ganim, Abed Shaat and Muhammed Kashta in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Jan. 21, 2026. / Credit: Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images
Three journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday in the Al-Zahra area southwest of Gaza City, Gaza's civil defence agency said. Among the dead was 30-year-old Abed Shaat, a freelance cameraman who regularly filed video for CBS News and had contributed to Agence France-Presse.
What Happened
Civil defence officials identified the other two victims as Mohammed Salah Qashta and Anas Ghneim. Authorities said the three were struck when a strike hit a vehicle accompanying them. An eyewitness told AFP the journalists were operating a drone to film aid distribution by the Egyptian Relief Committee when the vehicle they were traveling with was hit.
Statements and Reactions
The Israel Defense Forces said 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," and struck the suspects who activated the drone. The IDF added that details of the incident are under review.
Abed Shaat worked as a freelance cameraman for CBS News and other outlets in Gaza.
"A vehicle belonging to the Egyptian Committee was targeted during a humanitarian mission, resulting in the martyrdom of three individuals," Mohammed Mansour, a spokesman for the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Gaza Strip, said. Mansour added that the group's vehicles "bear the committee's logo" and accused the Israeli army of having "criminally targeted this vehicle."
The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate condemned the strike, calling it part of a "systematic and deliberate policy pursued by the Israeli occupation to intentionally target Palestinian journalists."
Background And Impact
Shaat, 30, had filed regular video for CBS News from the city of Khan Yunis during the war and at times reported even after being wounded. Colleagues described him as "a brave journalist" and praised his technical skill and dedication. He had married two weeks before his death. After an October ceasefire, Shaat worked with the Egyptian Humanitarian Committee in Gaza photographing humanitarian activity and relief operations.
Gaza's health ministry, in the territory governed by Hamas, said Israeli forces have killed at least 466 Palestinians since the October ceasefire took effect. The ministry reported another eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Wednesday, making it one of the deadliest days since the truce began. The Israeli military said militants killed three of its soldiers during the same period.
Details of the strike are being reviewed by the Israeli military. International and local media organizations and humanitarian groups are likely to seek further clarification and investigations into the circumstances that led to the deaths of the three journalists.
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