logo
Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza City

Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza City

Heavy bombardment was reported in Gaza City late on Sunday evening and, shortly before midnight local time, Al Jazeera said correspondent Anas al-Sharif was killed in a strike.
Rami Mohanna, administrative director at the nearby Shifa Hospital, said the strike hit a tent for Al Jazeera journalists outside the hospital's walls.
Along with Mr al-Sharif, three other journalists and a driver were killed.
Israel's military confirmed it, asserting that Mr al-Sharif had 'posed as a journalist' and alleging he was with Hamas.
Mr Al-Sharif had denied having any political affiliations. The Committee to Protect Journalists last month said it was gravely concerned for his safety and said he was 'targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign'.
A statement from Al Jazeera described the strike as a 'targeted assassination'.
It said: 'Al Jazeera Media Network condemns in the strongest terms the targeted assassination of its correspondents Anas Al Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqea, along with photographers Ibrahim Al Thaher, and Mohamed Nofal, by the Israeli occupation forces in yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Labor says Hamas tries to ‘manipulate facts' after terrorist group welcomes Australia's Palestine recognition decision
Labor says Hamas tries to ‘manipulate facts' after terrorist group welcomes Australia's Palestine recognition decision

The Guardian

time16 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Labor says Hamas tries to ‘manipulate facts' after terrorist group welcomes Australia's Palestine recognition decision

The federal government has condemned Hamas for seeking to 'manipulate facts for their own propaganda' after it was reported the terrorist group had welcomed Australia's decision to recognise a Palestinian state. Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that Australia would recognise Palestine at the United Nations next month, joining more than 140 countries – about three-quarters of UN membership – who already recognise a Palestinian state. The prime minister has said Hamas 'will be excluded from the process' of a future Palestinian state. He also justified Australia's decision to recognise Palestine by saying Hamas would be opposed to the move and a two-state solution, and said one of his pre-conditions for recognition was for a Palestinian state to be demilitarised and grant no governance role to Hamas. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Nine newspapers reported on Wednesday that the Hamas co-founder and senior official Sheikh Hassan Yousef welcomed Australia's decision to recognise Palestine, praising Australia's 'political courage' and calling on other countries to 'follow Australia's example'. Nine also reported that Yousef rejected calls to demilitarise or for Hamas to be excluded from future elections. Responding to Nine's report, a government spokesperson urged caution in publicising the words of a listed terrorist group. 'What Australia has done is contribute international momentum towards a two-state solution, which Hamas opposes. We are supporting the Arab League's efforts to isolate Hamas,' the spokesperson said. 'Hamas always tries to manipulate facts for their own propaganda. Media have a responsibility to make professional judgments to not promote propaganda of terrorist organisations to get cynical headlines.' The shadow foreign minister, Michaelia Cash, accused the government of handing Hamas a 'massive propaganda victory' in joining the vast majority of global governments in recognising Palestine. Cash said Albanese should 'hang his head in shame after being praised today by the terrorist group Hamas for his decision to recognise a Palestinian state'. 'Mr Albanese has emboldened a terror group who murder civilians in cold blood and still hold 50 Israeli hostages in tunnels under Gaza. All Australians should be appalled at the massive propaganda victory Mr Albanese has handed Hamas on a platter,' she said. 'Mr Albanese should explain whether he'll still pursue recognition knowing it has the clear endorsement of terrorists.' The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, again pledged a future Coalition government would revoke recognition of a Palestinian state. 'The prime minister said that the reason for his decision was because Hamas would not support it. He used his interpretation of Hamas' position as justification for making a decision, and that is clearly turned completely upside down today, with the Hamas co-founder praising our prime minister for this decision,' she said. Greg Barton, a professor of Islamic politics at Deakin University, told Sky News that Hamas faced isolation by Arab leaders, but that the group was 'trying to spin that in a different way, you'd expect that'. 'It's now very clear, I think, that the recognition of Palestine is completely decoupled from any support for Hamas,' he said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion '[Hamas] have excluded themselves from any future because of their actions in the terror attack on 7 October 2023 and the international community have made that very clear.' Albanese, speaking in Brisbane on Wednesday before the comments were reported, again strongly condemned Hamas. 'The Arab League, the countries around the region, as well as the international community have made it very clear Hamas has no role … The Arab League have made it very clear that Hamas must lay down its weapons,' he said. Asked about future elections, Albanese said: 'Hamas will be excluded from the process. We've made that very clear ... We exclude terrorists, we exclude Hamas. Very clearly.' Albanese said on Tuesday that the international community, including critics such as the Arab League, could block Hamas from future governance roles, but did not explain how. Shahram Akbarzadeh, a professor of Middle East politics at Deakin University, said Australian pre-conditions for recognising Palestine raise 'lots of challenges', chief among them how to deal with Hamas. He said barring Hamas from a future governing role is 'widely accepted' by Arab leaders, but the 'practicalities' are difficult. 'That's going to be a much harder proposition than disarming Hamas … it will involve a lengthy process of checks and balances,' Akbarzadeh said. The Israeli embassy in Australia has strongly condemned the government's move. A statement on X, attributed to the ambassador, Amir Maimon, read: 'Rewarding those who use terror as a political tool sends the dangerous message that violence brings political gain.'

Hamas praises Albanese's decision to recognise Palestine as a state
Hamas praises Albanese's decision to recognise Palestine as a state

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Hamas praises Albanese's decision to recognise Palestine as a state

Hamas has praised Anthony Albanese's decision to recognise Palestine as a state, with the listed terror group claiming it vindicates their October 7 massacre. The Prime Minister revealed on Monday that Australia would recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations next month, following similar commitments made by other Western allies, including the UK, France, and Canada. He insisted the move would be 'totally opposed' by Hamas, who the Palestinian Authority had assured him would play no role in any future state. But Sheikh Hassan Yousef (pictured), a co-founder of Hamas and one of the terror group's most senior figures in the West Bank, has welcomed the Labor government's move and called on other Western nations to follow suit. 'We welcome Australia's decision to recognise the state of Palestine, and consider it an important step towards achieving justice for our people and securing their legitimate rights,' Yousef told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'This position reflects political courage and a commitment to the values of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination. We call on all countries, especially those that believe in freedom and human dignity, to follow Australia's example and translate their positions into practical steps to support the Palestinian people and end their suffering under occupation.' Yousef, who is considered one of the spiritual leaders of Hamas, even said Albanese's decision had vindicated the October 7 attacks. This stands in stark contrast to Albanese's claim that Hamas would be 'unhappy' about the Australia's decision to recognise Palestine as a state. 'I've seen some of the comments that have been made about Hamas somehow being rewarded. Hamas is opposed to two states. This is the opposite of what Hamas wants,' the Prime Minister told Today. Albanese said on Monday that his government's backing of Palestinian statehood was contingent on the promise that Hamas would play no future role in the Palestinian state, free elections would be held and that he the region will demilitarise. But Yousef insisted that Hamas would not consider any elections legitimate unless Hamas were on the ballot paper. 'We believe that elections must be inclusive of all Palestinian factions, and excluding Hamas means sidelining a large segment of Palestinians,' he told the SMH. 'Only through free and fair elections in which everyone participates can the true legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority be achieved.' A government spokesperson said: 'What Australia has done is contribute international momentum towards a two-state solution, which Hamas opposes. We are supporting the Arab League's efforts to isolate Hamas. Hamas always tries to manipulate facts for their own propaganda. Media have a responsibility to make professional judgements to not promote propaganda of terrorist organisations to get cynical headlines.' Labor's long-awaited announcement triggered a flurry of furious criticism from Israel, Jewish groups in Australia and the Opposition, all of whom accused them of playing into Hamas's hands by effectively 'rewarding terrorism'. Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon unleashed on the decision, claiming 'peace is built by ending terror, not rewarding it'. 'By recognising a Palestinian state while Hamas continues to kill, kidnap and reject peace, Australia undermines Israel's security, derails hostage negotiations and hands a victory to those who oppose coexistence,' Mr Maimon said. He added: 'Rewarding those who use terror as a political tool sends the dangerous message that violence brings political gains. By recognising a Palestinian state now, Australia elevates the position of Hamas, a group it acknowledges as a terrorist organisation, while weakening the cause of those working to end violence and achieve genuine, lasting peace.' Meanwhile, Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Daniel Aghion KC effectively predicted Yousef's response when he said: 'Hamas and other Islamist groups will see that barbarity on a grand scale can lead to desired political transformation.' The crisis in Gaza began when Hamas terrorists stormed the Nova music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 more hostage.

‘If these words reach you … Israel has succeeded in killing me': the last words of a journalist killed in Gaza
‘If these words reach you … Israel has succeeded in killing me': the last words of a journalist killed in Gaza

The Guardian

time2 hours ago

  • The Guardian

‘If these words reach you … Israel has succeeded in killing me': the last words of a journalist killed in Gaza

The following statement was posthumously published on Anas al-Sharif's X account, after an attack on a tent for journalists near al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Seven people in total were killed including al-Sharif, the Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, according to Al Jazeera. This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First, peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings. Allah knows I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabaliya refugee camp. My hope was that Allah would extend my life so I could return with my family and loved ones to our original town of occupied Asqalan (al-Majdal). But Allah's will came first, and His decree is final. I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification – so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half. I entrust you with Palestine – the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace. Their pure bodies were crushed under thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart and scattered across the walls. I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland. I entrust you to take care of my family. I entrust you with my beloved daughter, Sham, the light of my eyes, whom I never got the chance to watch grow up as I had dreamed. I entrust you with my dear son, Salah, whom I had wished to support and accompany through life until he grew strong enough to carry my burden and continue the mission. I entrust you with my beloved mother, whose blessed prayers brought me to where I am, whose supplications were my fortress and whose light guided my path. I pray that Allah grants her strength and rewards her on my behalf with the best of rewards. I also entrust you with my lifelong companion, my beloved wife, Umm Salah (Bayan), from whom the war separated me for many long days and months. Yet she remained faithful to our bond, steadfast as the trunk of an olive tree that does not bend – patient, trusting in Allah, and carrying the responsibility in my absence with all her strength and faith. I urge you to stand by them, to be their support after Allah Almighty. If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles. I testify before Allah that I am content with His decree, certain of meeting Him, and assured that what is with Allah is better and everlasting. O Allah, accept me among the martyrs, forgive my past and future sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family. Forgive me if I have fallen short, and pray for me with mercy, for I kept my promise and never changed or betrayed it. Do not forget Gaza. And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store