UPDATED: Israel assassinates prominent Al Jazeera reporter Anas Al-Sharif among 5 other journalists in Gaza - War on Gaza
Al Jazeera correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent for journalists at Al-Shifa Hospital's main gate when it was struck, the Qatar-based network reported.
Another local freelance reporter, Mohammad Al-Khaldi, was also killed in the airstrike, medics at Al-Shifa Hospital said on Monday.
Al Jazeera condemned Israel's "targeted assassination" of its five journalists as a heinous crime and "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom."
Shortly after the strike, the Israeli army confirmed that it had targeted Anas Al-Sharif.
The attack was the latest to see journalists targeted in the 22-month Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, with around 200 media workers killed, according to media watchdogs.
In a Telegram post, the occupation army claimed that Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas organization, reflecting a broader Israeli pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence.
Rights advocates insist that Al-Sharif had been targeted for his frontline reporting on the Gaza war and that Israel's claim lacked evidence.
Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli strike had killed seven people in total. It initially said four of its staff had been killed, but revised it to five a few hours later.
Al-Sharif's nephew, who was with him to learn journalism, was killed as well.
In 2023, Israeli forces bombed Al-Sharif's home in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp and killed his 65-year-old father, Jamal Al-Sharif.
"The order to assassinate Anas Al-Sharif, one of Gaza's bravest journalists, and his colleagues is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza," Al Jazeera said in its farewell statement.
Al-Sharif, 28, was one of the channel's most recognizable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage.
He appeared to be posting on X in the moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment within Gaza City.
Fully aware of the dangers of working as a journalist in Gaza, Al-Sharif had prepared what he described as his "final will" to be published in the event of his death.
"If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice," Al-Sharif said in his final message, which appeared on his social media after the airstrike.
'Do not forget Gaza, and do not forget me in your sincere prayers,' he concluded.
In July, the Al Jazeera Media Network, along with the United Nations and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), issued separate statements warning that Al-Sharif's life was in danger and calling for his protection.
Back then, the CPJ issued a statement accusing the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee of stepping up online attacks on Al-Sharif by alleging that he was a Hamas fighter.
Following the attack, the CPJ said it was "appalled" to learn of the journalists' deaths.
"Israel's pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom," said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah.
"Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable," she added.
The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate also condemned the assassination as a "bloody crime."
The deadliest war for journalists
With Gaza sealed off by the Israeli authorities, many media groups around the world depend on photo, video, and text coverage of the conflict provided by Palestinian reporters.
In early July, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said more than 200 journalists had been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, including several Al Jazeera journalists.
In August 2024, Ismael Al-Ghoul was hit by an Israeli airstrike as he sat in his car; a harrowing video shared on social media showed his decapitated body. Cameraman Rami Al-Rifi and a boy passing on a bicycle were also killed.
According to the International Federation of Journalists, the Israeli war on Gaza has been the deadliest conflict on record for journalists.
The situation is dire for the journalists who are still in Gaza. Besides the airstrikes, there is the threat of starvation.
In July, the BBC and three news agencies — Reuters, AP, and AFP — issued a joint statement expressing "desperate concern" for journalists in the strip, who they say are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families.
International criticism is growing against Israel over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with UN agencies and rights groups warning that a famine is unfolding in the territory.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has so far killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
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