Al Jazeera Journalists Killed In Israeli Strike

Five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza have been killed in an Israeli strike, in what the broadcaster says was a “targeted strike” near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital. Among those killed was high-profile correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who Israel has accused of being a member of Hamas.Al Jazeera says the killings of their staff, including another correspondent and three camera operators, was “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”.

The broadcaster denies its reporters are affiliated with Hamas. After his death, a friend appears to have published a final statement on his X account, which said he had “never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification”. Israel has been accused of targeting Palestinian journalists in Gaza, which it denies. International journalists are not permitted to report freely from there, so they rely on Gazan reporters for coverage.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in October 2023. Alongside Anas al-Sharif were fellow correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, Al Jazeera says. They were in a tent for journalists near the main gate at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, the broadcaster adds.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it targeted al-Sharif, saying he had “served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas”. The IDF did not mention any of the other journalists who were killed. Al Jazeera’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, told the BBC that al-Sharif was an accredited journalist who was “the only voice” for the world to know what was happening in the Gaza Strip.