Five Al Jazeera journalists are killed in Israeli strike on tent in Gaza: IDF says it was targeting and struck 'Hamas cell leader posing as correspondent'

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City on Sunday in what the IDF claimed was a targeted hit on 'the head of a Hamas terrorist cell' posing as a reporter.
The broadcaster, which is primarily based in Doha in Qatar, said two reporters and three cameramen died in the blast.
Al Jazeera named the dead as correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.
The other man slain was Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, 28, who has extensively documented the release of Israeli hostages.
Al-Sharif also made headlines in January after footage of him removing his armoured press vest and helmet went viral following the announcement of a ceasefire.
Only last month, the journalist spoke about his fear that he could be assassinated for exposing the truth of the situation in Gaza.
The correspondent said he operated with 'the feeling that I could be bombed and martyred at any moment' because his coverage of Israel's operations 'harms them and damages their image in the world'.
'Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif has been killed alongside three colleagues in what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack, the director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has said,' a spokesperson for the media network said.
The IDF, Israel's national military, claimed in a social media post that al-Sharif was a 'terrorist' who 'posed as an Al Jazeera journalist' and was responsiblle for rocket attacks on their troops and Israeli civilians
'Al-Sharif, 28, was killed on Sunday after a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital was hit.
'The well-known Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reportedly extensively from northern Gaza.'
However the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), the country's national military, triumphantly announced al-Sharif's death in a post on social media.
The IDF claimed that the correspondent was a 'terrorist' who 'posed as an Al Jazeera journalist' and was responsiblle for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and their troops.
In a post on X beginning with a target emoji, the IDF said: 'STRUCK: Hamas terrorist Anas al-Sharif, who posed as an Al Jazeera journalist.
'Al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops.
'Intelligence and documents from Gaza, including rosters, terrorist training lists and salary records, prove he was a Hamas operative integrated into Al Jazeera.
'A press badge isn't a shield for terrorism.'
In a separate statement on messaging app Telegram, the IDF said: 'A short while ago, in Gaza City, the IDF struck the terrorist Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as a journalist for the Al Jazeera network.
'Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.'
According to Reporters Without Borders, more than 190 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 - but foreign reporters have been barred from covering the conflict.
The National Union for Journalists were one of the signatories to an open letter last week calling for action to protect reporters working in the Palestinian territories.
The letter said: 'At the time of writing this letter, at least 189 journalists and media workers have been killed – including 175 Palestinians – in the ongoing war over the last 21 months, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
'In comparison, around 60 were killed during the Vietnam War. Many died while clearly identified as members of the press. Some were killed alongside their families, in their homes.
'These are not statistics. These are human beings, doing their jobs under conditions few of us in the UK could comprehend, bearing witness so the rest of us might grasp the enormity of what is happening.
'We're calling on the UK government to act - to unequivocally condemn the targeting of journalists and media workers in Gaza. These deaths cross a fundamental red line. Journalism is not a crime.
'Reporting is not terrorism. The erasure of journalists is not 'collateral damage' - it is a warning shot to the world, a signal that no truth is safe and no witness is welcome.'
Following al-Sharif's death, a post described as his 'last will and testament' was posted on social media site X.
It said: '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.'
In the post he laments not being able to see his son Salah and daughter Sham grow up and pays testimony to his wife, while imploring Gazans to continue struggling against military occupation.
It ends: 'Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.'