Anas al-Sharif was killed by Israel alongside four other journalists in Gaza City [Getty]
Israel killed prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif alongside four other journalists in a targeted strike on their tent in Gaza City on Sunday.
“Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif has been killed alongside four colleagues in a targeted Israeli attack on a tent housing journalists in Gaza City,” the Qatar-based broadcaster said.
“Al-Sharif, 28, was killed on Sunday after a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital was hit. The well-known Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reportedly extensively from northern Gaza.”
The channel said that five of its staff members were killed during the strike on a tent in Gaza City, listing the others as Mohammed Qreiqeh along with camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out the attack, saying it had struck Al Jazeera’s al-Sharif and calling him a “terrorist” who “posed as a journalist”.
“A short while ago, in Gaza City, the IDF struck the terrorist Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as a journalist for the Al Jazeera network,” it said on Telegram, using an acronym for the military.
“Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organisation and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” it added.
Al-Sharif was one of the channel’s most recognisable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage.
Following a press conference by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, where the premier defended approving a new offensive in Gaza, al-Sharif posted messages on X describing “intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment” on Gaza City.
One of his final messages included a short video showing nearby Israeli strikes hitting Gaza City.
He also issued a plea to end Israel’s latest assault on the city: “If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased – and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”
Following his killing, al-Shari’s final statement was released on his X account: “This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.”
In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement calling for his protection as it accused the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee of stepping up online attacks on the reporter by alleging that he was a Hamas terrorist.
Sarah Qudah, CPJ’s Regional Director, said at the time that the “unfounded accusations represent an effort to manufacture consent to kill Al-Sharif.”
Following the attack, the CPJ said it was “appalled” to learn of the journalists’ deaths.
“Israel’s pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” Qudah said.
“Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable.”
The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate condemned what it described as a “bloody crime” of assassination, while the Palestine’s mission to the UN said that Al-Sharif, alongside Qreiqeh, had “systematically and dutifully exposed and documented Israel’s genocide and starvation.”
The UN also offered condemnation, with Spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres sending his condolences to Al Jazeera, adding “We have always been very clear in condemning all killings of journalists. In Gaza, and everywhere, media workers should be able to carry out their work freely and without harassment, intimidation or fear of being targeted.”
Israel and Al Jazeera have had a contentious relationship for years, with Israeli authorities banning the channel in the country and raiding its offices following the latest war in Gaza.
Sealed off
With Gaza sealed off, many media groups around the world, including AFP, depend on photo, video and text coverage of the conflict provided by Palestinian reporters.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in early July that more than 200 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began, including several Al Jazeera journalists.
International criticism is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with UN agencies and rights groups warning that a famine is unfolding in the territory.
The targeted strike comes as Israel announced plans to expand its military operations on the ground in Gaza, with Netanyahu saying on Sunday that the new offensive was set to target the remaining Hamas strongholds there.
He also announced a plan to allow more foreign journalists to report inside Gaza with the military, as he laid out his vision for victory in the territory.
A UN official warned the Security Council that Israel’s plans to control Gaza City risked “another calamity” with far-reaching consequences.
“If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings, and destruction,” UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council.
