Palestinians say Israeli attacks in Gaza kill 11, including 3 journalists, 2 children

IDF says strike on journalists targeted ‘suspects’ operating Hamas-affiliated drone near troops; army also says troops opened fire on several operatives who crossed Yellow Line

Israeli fire killed 11 Palestinians, including three journalists and two children, in Gaza on Wednesday, local medics said, while the Israeli military said it had targeted “suspects” and terror operatives who posed a threat to soldiers.

One strike on a vehicle in the central Gaza Strip in the early afternoon killed three people, according to Arabic-language media, which identified the three as photojournalists Abed Shaat and Anas Ghoneim and correspondent Muhammad Qashta, who had been working to produce media content for an Egyptian governmental humanitarian agency.

According to the IDF, the strike targeted suspects who were piloting a drone that was “affiliated with the Hamas terror group.”

The military said the drone posed a threat to Israeli soldiers stationed in the area and as a result, an airstrike was carried out “in accordance with the required chain of command approvals,” but added that further details are under review.

The IDF did not say whether the operation of the drone constituted a violation of the ceasefire and provided no evidence that the aircraft or suspects were linked to Hamas.

According to Arabic media, the three had been filming an encampment established in central Gaza’s al-Zahra area by the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Gaza Strip.

A source in the Egyptian committee was cited by Qatari-owned UK newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed as confirming the reports and calling the strike a “dangerous precedent.”

The three were reportedly traveling in a jeep that belonged to the committee. Footage published by one Palestinian journalist indicated the jeep bore the committee’s insignia.

An Egyptian security source confirmed the vehicle belonged to the committee but gave no further details.

Qashta, who has been featured on Al Jazeera and other outlets during the war in Gaza, appears to have more recently created social media content for the Egyptian committee, including a video he published two days prior about the Zahra encampment.

Israel and Hamas have traded blame for multiple breaches of the October truce after two years of war in Gaza, and remain at odds over the next steps in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

Earlier on Wednesday, Palestinian medics said three people, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed as a result of Israeli shelling east of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza. Two others, a boy of 13 and a woman, were killed in two shooting incidents in eastern Khan Younis in Gaza’s south, they said.

Three other Palestinians were killed in other shootings across the coastal enclave, taking Wednesday’s death toll to at least 11, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said.

The deaths could not be confirmed and Hamas figures do not distinguish between fighters and noncombatants.

Residents said the two incidents occurred in Palestinian-controlled areas.

The ceasefire brought about a partial Israeli military withdrawal, leaving Israeli forces holding about 53 percent of the enclave, but residents claimed to Reuters that they have been gradually expanding their presence in recent weeks, leading to further displacement of Palestinian families.

There was also no immediate IDF comment on the two incidents.

Earlier on Wednesday, the IDF said in a statement that troops had killed a terror operative who crossed the Gaza ceasefire line in the Strip’s south overnight.

According to the IDF, the operative crossed the Yellow Line and approached soldiers of the 188th Armored Brigade “in a way that posed an immediate threat.” The soldiers opened fire and “eliminated the terrorist to remove the threat,” the army added.

More than 460 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed in clashes since the ceasefire took effect.

The Gaza war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led a devastating invasion of southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.