Gaza City – Israel’s military has confirmed killing Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif in an airstrike on Sunday, claiming he was a Hamas cell leader involved in rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and troops. Rights advocates and press freedom organisations disputed the allegation, saying the 28-year-old was targeted for his frontline reporting on the ongoing Gaza war and that Israel has not presented credible evidence.
Al Sharif died alongside three other Al Jazeera journalists — Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal — as well as an assistant, in a strike that hit a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City. Gaza officials reported two additional fatalities from the same attack. Al Jazeera described the strike as a “desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza,” calling Al Sharif “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists.”
The Israeli military cited intelligence and documents it said were recovered in Gaza to support its claim that Al Sharif headed a Hamas cell. Similar accusations were made last October, when Israel named him among six journalists it alleged had ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad — allegations that Al Jazeera rejected as “fabricated.”
UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan had previously stated that Israel’s claims lacked substantiation, warning that Al Sharif’s life was in danger. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which in July urged international action to safeguard him, reiterated that Israel has yet to produce evidence, with CPJ regional director Sara Qudah criticising Israel’s “pattern of labelling journalists as militants without credible proof.”
Shortly before his death, Al Sharif posted to his more than 500,000 followers on X, describing heavy Israeli bombardment of Gaza City lasting over two hours. In a message prepared for posthumous publication, he wrote: “I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent.”
Hamas condemned the killings, warning they could mark the start of a new Israeli offensive. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged further operations to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza, where a worsening hunger crisis follows nearly two years of war.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, 237 journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023. CPJ’s count stands at 186 journalists killed during the conflict.
