CAIRO/JERUSALEM; In another deadly strike on media workers in Gaza, Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al Sharif, accusing him of being a Hamas cell leader. Rights groups, however, say he was targeted for his frontline coverage of the war, and Israel has yet to provide credible evidence for its allegations.
The 28-year-old journalist was among four Al Jazeera staff members and an assistant killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City. Two others were also killed, local officials said.
Al Jazeera called Al Sharif “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and described the attack as a “desperate attempt to silence voices ahead of the occupation of Gaza.” The network has strongly denied Israeli claims, calling them fabricated.
Press freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), condemned the strike, saying Israel has a pattern of labelling journalists as militants without proof. UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan had earlier warned Al Sharif’s life was at risk due to his reporting.
Since the war began on October 7, 2023, Gaza’s media office says 237 journalists have been killed, while CPJ reports at least 186.
