Five Al Jazeera journalists were among seven people killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Sunday night, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who had been reporting from the city since the war began in October 2023.
Al-Sharif was struck near the main gate of a hospital alongside colleague Mohammed Qreiqeh and three camera operators — Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. Israel’s military later claimed responsibility, accusing Al-Sharif of being a senior Hamas operative involved in planning rocket attacks. The military said it based its assessment on intelligence and documents recovered in Gaza.
Al Jazeera rejected the allegations, describing Al-Sharif as an accredited journalist and “the only voice” reporting from inside Gaza amid restrictions on foreign media. Managing editor Mohamed Moawad told the BBC the journalists were in a tent, away from the front line, and accused Israel of trying to silence independent reporting from the territory.
The strike comes amid a high toll on media workers in the conflict. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 186 journalists have been killed in Gaza since 2023. The CPJ had previously warned that Al-Sharif, 28, faced heightened risk due to his role as a key source of news for international audiences over the past 22 months.
In July, Al Jazeera accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of waging a “relentless campaign” against its Gaza correspondents, calling such actions a dangerous attempt to justify attacks on journalists. Following Al-Sharif’s death, a statement — apparently prepared in advance — was posted on his X account.
