January 30, 2026
The three journalists — Mohammed Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Samir Shaath and Anas Ghanem — murdered in Gaza by Israeli forces on Jan. 21, 2026.
The following press release was issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Jan.21, 2026, and posted at cair.com/press-releases.
CAIR condemns Israel’s killing of Palestinian journalists and others in Gaza, denounces Netanyahu’s appointment to ‘Board of Peace’
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the slaughter of 11 Palestinians, including three journalists, by Israeli forces in Gaza and the appointment of Israeli war criminal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the so-called “Board of Peace” set to govern Gaza.
At least 11 Palestinians were killed in a surge of Israeli attacks across Gaza Jan. 21. Among the dead are Mohammed Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Samir Shaath and Anas Ghanem, three Palestinian journalists targeted in a strike on their car while filming for an Egyptian government humanitarian initiative in the central town of Zahraa. The car was clearly marked with the Egyptian Committee’s logo.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted a position on President Trump’s “Board of Peace,” which he says will oversee Gaza. Netanyahu has overseen Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, and the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for his arrest over war crimes in Gaza.
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“The murders of Mohammed Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Samir Shaath and Anas Ghanem by Israeli forces are war crimes and those responsible must be prosecuted under international law. Israel, which despite the ceasefire is still slaughtering civilians and targeting journalists in Gaza, should have absolutely no role in governing the territory. Benjamin Netanyahu belongs in a cell at the Hague, not on the so-called ‘Board of Peace.’ Allowing the genocidal Israeli government any role whatsoever in determining Gaza’s future will prove disastrous.”
Israel killed more journalists in 2025 than any other country, according to a report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Israeli forces carrying out the genocidal war in Gaza were responsible for the deaths of 29 Palestinian reporters, RSF said in its annual report published on Tuesday. It was the third year running that Israel was named the top killer of journalists by the NGO.
Nasser Abu Bakr, Chairman of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, reported that more than 255 journalists were killed in Gaza, representing 18% of the overall number in the Strip.
