Israel kills Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza

The IDF have admitted to targeting Anas al-Sharif, claiming he was the head of a “Hamas terrorist cell”

At least five Al Jazeera staff members were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a journalist camp in Gaza. Among the victims was Anas al-Sharif, a well-known correspondent who has been recognized for his reporting on the local humanitarian crisis. 

The attack occurred on Sunday evening, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck a tent outside the main gate of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The Qatar-based media outlet immediately confirmed that four of its journalists - al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal - were killed. It later added that cameraman Moamen Aliwa was also among the victims, along with two others, bringing the death toll to seven.

Al-Sharif’s last post on X featured a video of Israeli strikes hitting Gaza City. Posted moments before he was killed, the missive described the “relentless bombardment” by Israeli warplanes.

Hani Mahmoud, an Al Jazeera reporter who was just a block away at the time, heard a massive explosion near Al-Shifa Hospital. 

“I saw the sky light up, and soon after, news spread that it was the journalist camp at the hospital’s main gate,” he wrote, adding that the drone strike hit after things had “quieted down” and journalists had gathered in one place.

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The director of Al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera that the IDF is likely to have targeted the tent directly.

Israel’s military acknowledged it had targeted al-Sharif, claiming he was the head of a Hamas “terrorist cell” operating under the guise of a reporter.

Al Jazeera denied these allegations, describing them as part of a “campaign of incitement” against its journalists. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the attack, stating that Israel provided “no evidence” to support its claims that al-Sharif was a Hamas member. 

“This is part of a pattern that we have seen from Israel... going back decades in which it kills journalists,” CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg has said. 

Since Israel’s war on Hamas began in October 2023, at least 237 journalists have been killed, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza, with Al Jazeera alone losing 10 staff members.