Israel kills Al Jazeera journalist it says was Hamas leader
Israel’s military said it had killed an Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza whom it accused of being a Hamas cell leader, a claim press freedom advocates and the network dismissed as unsubstantiated and politically motivated.
Anas Al Sharif, 28, died on Sunday when an Israeli airstrike hit a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, according to Gaza health officials and Al Jazeera. The strike also killed three of his Al Jazeera colleagues — Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal — an assistant, and at least two other people, hospital staff said.
Al Jazeera hailed Al Sharif as “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and called the strike “a desperate attempt to silence voices” as Israel prepares for further military operations.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged that Al Sharif headed a Hamas cell involved in organising rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and troops, citing intelligence and documents it claims were recovered in Gaza. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and UN officials have previously warned that Israel had not produced credible evidence to support its accusations.
UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan said last month that the allegations appeared unproven, and CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa director Sara Qudah said Israel’s repeated labelling of journalists as militants “without providing credible evidence raises serious concerns about its intent and its respect for press freedom.”
Al Jazeera rejected the Israeli military’s claims, saying: “The occupation forces’ portrayal of our journalists as terrorists relies on fabricated evidence.” The network said Al Sharif had prepared a message for posthumous publication, in which he vowed to report the truth “without distortion or misrepresentation.”
Israel had previously named Al Sharif last October as one of six Gaza journalists it accused of belonging to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, alleging they appeared on lists of individuals receiving salaries or training.
Al Sharif’s final social media post, made minutes before his death, reported heavy bombardment of Gaza City lasting more than two hours. Hamas described the killing as a warning of an imminent Israeli ground operation, accusing Israel of “assassinating journalists” to pave the way for “a major crime” in Gaza City.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to launch a new offensive to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate after nearly two years of war.
The Gaza government media office says 237 journalists have been killed since the conflict began on 7 October 2023. CPJ’s latest count puts the figure at least 186.
Reuters
