Anas al-Sharif had reported extensively from northern Gaza
Aug. 11 — Five Al Jazeera journalists including prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital.
Al-Sharif and another correspondent, Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent for journalists at the hospital’s main gate when it was struck, Al Jazeera reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had targeted Anas al-Sharif, alleging that he had “served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas”.
It also said he had “advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops”.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was appalled by the attack and that Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations against al-Sharif.
Al Jazeera’s managing editor Mohamed Moawad told Journalists that al-Sharif was an accredited journalist who was “the only voice” for the world to know what was happening in the Gaza Strip.
Throughout the war, Israel has not allowed international journalists into Gaza to report freely. Therefore, many outlets rely on local reporters within the territory for coverage.
“They were targeted in their tent, they weren’t covering from the front line,” Moawad said of the Israeli strike.
Last month, the Al Jazeera Media Network – along with the United Nations and the CPJ – issued separate statements warning that al-Sharif’s life was in danger and calling for his protection.
Al-Sharif, 28, appeared to be posting on X in the moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment within Gaza City. A post that was published after he was reported to have died appears to have been pre-written and published by a friend.
In total, seven people died in the strike, Al Jazeera said. The broadcaster initially said that four of its staff had been killed, but revised it to five a few hours later.
In its statement, the Israeli Defence Forces, IDF accused al-Sharif of posing as a journalist, and said it had previously “disclosed intelligence” confirming his military affiliation, which included “lists of terrorist training courses”.
This is not the first time the IDF has targeted and killed Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, who they claimed were Hamas-affiliated
According to the CPJ, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in October 2023.
For the journalists still in Gaza, the situation is dire. As well as air strikes, there is the threat of starvation.
Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 61,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military operation began, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
