Three Palestinian journalists working for the Egyptian Committee for Gaza Relief were killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza, according to medical and media sources.

The journalists were martyred in the afternoon when Israeli military aircraft targeted their vehicle near displacement camps run by the Egyptian committee in the city of al-Zahra. They were identified as Anas Ghunaim, Abdul-Raouf Shaath, and Mohamed Qishta.

At the time of the attack, the journalists were filming and documenting the humanitarian conditions faced by displaced Palestinians in central Gaza. Their vehicle was struck while operating in the vicinity of newly established displacement camps.

Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, told Al Jazeera that the slain journalists were photojournalists working under the supervision of the Egyptian Committee for Gaza Relief, which coordinates Egypt’s humanitarian efforts in the besieged enclave.

Mohamed Mansour, spokesperson for the Egyptian committee, told The Associated Press that the journalists were documenting a new displacement camp when the strike occurred. He noted that the attack took place approximately five kilometers from Israeli-controlled areas and emphasized that the vehicle was clearly known to the Israeli military as belonging to the Egyptian committee.

Footage circulating on social media showed the journalists’ vehicle completely destroyed and charred by the roadside, with smoke rising from the wreckage. According to Al Jazeera, a fourth individual was also killed in the same attack.

The latest killings add to the mounting toll of journalists killed in Gaza. Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, at least 260 journalists and media workers have been killed, making Israel the world’s deadliest perpetrator of violence against journalists for three consecutive years, according to media monitoring groups.

The targeting of journalists has drawn widespread condemnation from press freedom organizations, which say the attacks severely undermine the ability to document events on the ground and constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law. (ILKHA)