What's the evidence which Israel says links Anas Al-Sharif to Hamas?
Anas Al-Sharif was one of five journalists among seven people killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City. The five worked for the broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Israel says Sharif was the head of a Hamas cell but has only produced limited evidence about its claims.
Al Jazeera rejected the accusations and said the strike was a "blatant" attack on press freedom.
On this episode, Niall Paterson and Sky News international correspondent Diana Magnay look at Anas Al-Sharif's career, Israel's claims and the international condemnation of what happened.
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Reuters
19 minutes ago
- Reuters
Mothers of Gaza hostages fear Israeli offensive will endanger their sons
GENEVA, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Mothers of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, including one who appeared emaciated in a recent Hamas video, voiced fears on Tuesday that a planned Israeli offensive could further endanger their sons' lives due to the risk of reprisals. Israel plans a much-criticised new Gaza offensive to take control of Gaza City in the almost two-year-old war against Palestinian militant group Hamas. Bombardment of the city is underway but the timing of the full offensive is uncertain and efforts to salvage a ceasefire continue. "When I heard that our government intends to extend the war in Gaza, I as a mother am afraid, because we know that Hamas gives kill the hostages whenever (our military) is getting close to them," said Viki Cohen, the mother of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attacks. Cohen, who is in Geneva alongside other hostages' mothers to appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help them, called instead for a deal for their release. "We must do everything to take them out from there," she said, holding up a photo of her now 21-year-old son, with his two previous ages since his captivity crossed out. Galia David, the mother of Evyatar David who appeared skeleton-like in a Hamas video this month where he was seen digging what he described as his own grave, said she was "really afraid" ahead of the offensive. "We know from hostages who were released that there are hard stories, that they are even more evil with them when there is fighting," she told reporters. She said she also worries that her son could die of starvation within days - a fear shared by Cohen's mother. Malnutrition rates and hunger-related deaths are rising in Gaza, humanitarian groups say, amid Israeli restrictions on aid. Israel denies responsibility for spreading hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas of stealing aid, which Hamas denies. Of the original 251 hostages captured by Hamas, around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom about 20 are thought to still be alive. Hamas has repeatedly denied abuse of the hostages and said Israel is starving the whole population in Gaza, including the hostages and their captors.
The National
34 minutes ago
- The National
Questions on UK spy plane 'over Gaza as Israel killed journalists'
On Sunday, August 10, the Israeli military killed prominent Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, as well as four of his colleagues and a freelancer, in a deliberate strike in Gaza City. Israel later claimed that al-Sharif had been a leading member of Hamas – but the allegation was widely contested, with Al Jazeera calling it a 'desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza'. READ MORE: Labour label Palestine Action terrorists – but ignore Nazi salutes from the far-right The Guardian reported that the strike which killed al-Sharif and his colleagues happened at 11.22pm, quoting Palestinian reporter Wadi Abu al-Saud. Flight radar data showed that a spy plane registered under the code N6147U was active at the RAF Akrotiri base, in Cyprus, two hours earlier. There is no flight path available, suggesting the plane's transponder was then turned off. This has been standard practice during spy missions over Palestine. Aid drops have been allowed into Gaza since Israel loosened its blockade of the regionLast week, the Daily Mail reported that plane N6147U belonged to an American private contractor, and had been hired to 'spy on Gaza due to shortage of RAF aircraft'. The UK Government had until then been sending its own aircraft to spy over Gaza since the October 7 attacks on Israel. In April, The Times reported that the UK Government had admitted to holding information gathered from a spy plane over Gaza on the day that an Israeli air strike killed British aid workers. However, the Ministry of Defence refused to release it. After the killing of al-Sharif, the UK's National Union of Journalists asked the Labour Government to back an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into Israel's targeting of media workers. In light of the above information, the UK Government was asked: Does the UK Government possess any information gathered by a spy plane over Gaza on August 10/11? Will it release the information publicly? Will it release the information to any investigation (by the ICC or otherwise) into the killing of journalists? SNP MSP Bill Kidd said: 'The SNP is clear that the killing of journalists in Gaza by Israel is indefensible and that Israel should be held to account. 'The UK Government must be fully transparent in answering these questions." A spokesperson for Scotland for Palestine campaign group said: 'Conducting spy flights over Gaza for Israel as it stands accused by the world's highest court of a plausible genocide is already grave. "If further evidence shows that the UK Government was involved in tracking down the last few remaining Palestinian journalists in a targeted assassination by Israel – a crime under international law – then this would be yet another serious mark against the UK Government. 'Similar to past atrocities, anyone who has helped Israel to commit crimes against humanity will one day face the consequences of their actions. READ MORE: Killing of Al Jazeera staff in Gaza 'silencing journalistic voices' 'We thank The National for following up on this and for holding the UK Government to account. 'The UK Government must now comply and release the information that has been requested on its spy flights over Gaza.' The Ministry of Defence declined to comment. Previously, the UK Government has said that its unarmed surveillance flights are conducted for the sole purpose of locating Israeli hostages held in Gaza. It has declined to release any information gathered, citing operational security.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Palestinian diplomat urged media access to Gaza before deadly strike on reporters
In a speech on 10 August, Palestine 's UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour urged the Security Council to send 100 journalists to Gaza to observe the situation. During an emergency meeting, Ambassador Mansour challenged Benjamin Netanyahu 's claims of a 'global conspiracy' regarding events in Gaza. Hours after his address, an Israeli airstrike targeted a tent housing journalists outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The strike resulted in the deaths of five Al Jazeera reporters, including 28-year-old correspondent Anas al-Sharif. Watch the video in full above.
