IDF says slain reporter was Hamas; journalist groups condemn killing
Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The Israeli military said it struck and killed Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, accusing him of being a Hamas militant, which attracted condemnation from journalist organizations.
The Israel Defense Forces made the announcement Sunday on X, saying al-Sharif "was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops."
"A press badge isn't a shield for terrorism," the IDF said on X.
Al Jazeera reported that al-Sharif was one of four colleagues killed in a targeted Israeli attack on a tent housing journalists in Gaza City, one of the few areas in the Palestinian enclave not under Israeli military control. Seven people were killed in the strike, the Qatar-based news organization said.
In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network condemned what it called the "targeted assassination" of its correspondent, along with photographers Ibrahim Al Thaher and Mohamed Nofal.
"As Al Jazeera Media Network bids farewell to yet another group of its finest journalists, who boldly and courageously documented the plight of Gaza and its people since the onset of the war, it holds the Israeli occupation forces and government responsible for deliberately targeting and assassinating its journalists," Al Jazeera Media Network said, adding that al-Sharif's death follows calls from Israeli officials to target him and his colleagues.
The IDF has repeatedly criticized Al Jazeera and has accused several of its reporters in Gaza of being Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants.
Late last month, IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee accused al-Sharif in a video posted to Facebook of being a member of Hamas' military wing since 2013.
Following al-Sharif's death, Adraee continued to post videos and photos to his Facebook account repeating his claims that the journalist was a militant.
In its statement Sunday, the IDF cited Israeli intelligence and Gaza documents as proof that al-Sharif "was a Hamas operative integrated into Al Jazeera."
Israel has killed at least 178 Palestinian journalists during its nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which said Israel has "a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof."
"Israel's pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect of press freedom," CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said in a statement in response to al-Shari's death.
"Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable."
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