Israeli strike kills three journalists in Gaza

An Israeli air strike has killed an AFP freelancer and two other journalists in Gaza, the territory's civil defence agency said, while the military said it struck "suspects" operating a drone.

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.

Mr 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.

In a statement, the Israeli military said troops had "identified several suspects who operated a drone affiliated with Hamas in the central Gaza Strip".

The military did not elaborate what it meant by a "drone affiliated with Hamas".

"Due to the threat that the drone posed to the troops, the (Israeli military) precisely struck the suspects who activated the drone," it said, adding that the strike was "conducted in accordance with the required chain of command approvals" and that the details were under review.

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.

According to an eyewitness, the journalists were using a drone to take images of aid distribution by the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Gaza Strip when a strike targeted a vehicle accompanying them.

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas called the strike "a dangerous escalation of the flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement."

Journalists under fire

In a statement, the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate condemned the strike "in the strongest terms," calling it a part of a "systematic and deliberate policy pursued by the Israeli occupation to intentionally target Palestinian journalists".

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.

The Israeli military said militants have killed three of its soldiers during the same period.

Gaza's health ministry said another eight Palestinians were also killed in Israeli attacks in the territory today.

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

The deadliest single attack was a so-called "double-tap" strike on a hospital in south Gaza on 25 August, which killed five journalists, including two contributors to international news agencies Reuters and the Associated Press.

Since Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023 sparked the war in Gaza, nearly 220 journalists have been killed by Israel, making the Palestinian territory by far the deadliest place for journalists, RSF data says.

The Israeli military claims that several journalists it targeted in Gaza had been "terrorists" affiliated with Palestinian militant groups.

Israel orders families in southern Gaza to move

Israeli forces have ordered dozens of Palestinian families in southern Gaza to leave their homes in the first forced evacuation since October's ceasefire, as residents and Hamas said the military was expanding ⁠the area it controls.

Residents of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, said the leaflets were dropped on Monday on families living in tent encampments in the Al-Reqeb neighbourhood.

"Urgent message. The area is under IDF control. You must evacuate immediately," said the leaflets, written in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, which the army dropped over the Al-Reqeb neighbourhood in the town of Bani Suhaila.

Israel's military denied having plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from the area. It confirmed the leaflet drops but said they were aimed at warning Palestinians not to cross the armistice line with Hamas.

In the two-year war before the US brokered ceasefire was signed in October, Israel dropped leaflets over areas that were subsequently raided or bombarded, forcing some families to move several times.

Residents and a source from the Hamas militant group said this was the first time they had been dropped since then.

The ceasefire has not progressed beyond its first phase, under which major fighting has stopped, Israel withdrew from less than half of Gaza, and Hamas released hostages in return for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

Virtually the entire population of more than 2 million people are confined to around a third of Gaza's territory, mostly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings, where life has resumed under control of an administration led by Hamas.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of major breaches of the ceasefire and remain far apart on the more difficult steps planned for the next phase.

A resident from the Bani Suhaila area said the evacuation ⁠orders impacted at least 70 families, living in tents and homes, some of which were partially damaged, in the area.

Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run ⁠Gaza government media office, said the Israeli ⁠military had expanded the area under its control in eastern Khan Younis five times since the ceasefire, forcing the displacement of at least 9,000 people.

He said the new evacuation ⁠orders affected approximately 3,000 people.

"The move created a state of humanitarian disruption, increased pressure on the already limited shelter areas, and further deepened the internal displacement crisis in the governorate," he added.

Israel's military has previously said it has opened fire after identifying what it called "terrorists" crossing the yellow line and approaching its troops, posing an immediate threat to them.

It has continued to conduct air strikes and targeted operations across Gaza. The Israeli military has said it views "with utmost severity" any attempts by militant groups in Gaza to attack Israel.

Under future phases of the ceasefire that have yet to be hammered out, US President Donald Trump's plan envisages Hamas disarming, Israel withdrawing further, and an internationally backed administration rebuilding Gaza.

Israel launched its operations in Gaza in the wake of an attack by ⁠Hamas-led fighters in October 2023 which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's assault has killed 71,000 people, the territories Hamas-run health authorities say.