Israeli Strike Kills Five Al Jazeera Journalists in Gaza

By Kennedy Nalyanya

GAZA CITY – An Israeli airstrike has killed five Al Jazeera journalists, including prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif (Pictured), near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The broadcaster reported that the journalists were in a tent at the hospital's main gate when the strike hit.

The journalists killed were identified as Anas al-Sharif, correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.

Al Jazeera condemned the attack as a "targeted assassination" and "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom."

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed it had targeted Anas al-Sharif, alleging that he was the "head of a terrorist cell in Hamas." The IDF claimed he had "advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops."

However, Al Jazeera's managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, told the BBC that al-Sharif was an accredited journalist and "the only voice" providing coverage from within the Gaza Strip. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has also expressed concern, stating that Israel has a pattern of killing journalists and then "provid[ing] very little evidence to back up those claims."

"This is something that I haven't seen before in modern history," Moawad said, asserting that the Israeli government is "wanting to silence the coverage of any channel of reporting from inside Gaza."

Since the war began, Israel has not allowed international journalists to report freely from inside Gaza, making local reporters essential for many news outlets. Moawad emphasized that the five journalists were targeted in their tent, not on the front line.

Prior to his death, Anas al-Sharif, 28, appeared to be posting on X about intense Israeli bombardment in Gaza City. Last month, Al Jazeera, the United Nations, and the CPJ all issued statements warning that his life was in danger. An unsubstantiated claim by an IDF spokesperson in July had accused him of being a member of Hamas's military wing. Irene Khan, a UN special rapporteur, called the accusation a "blatant assault on journalists."

The strike is reported to have killed a total of seven people. The BBC has verified graphic videos of the aftermath, showing men carrying the bodies of the victims.