'This is my final message': Journalist assassinated by Israel had warned about his fate
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58 mins ago
'IF THESE WORDS reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.'
Those were some of the final words of journalist Anas al-Sharif, 28, who was killed in Gaza overnight alongside fellow reporter Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.
It's been described by their network, Al Jazeera, as a 'targeted assassination' by Israel outside Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital.
Al-Sharif, who was one of the only journalists still reporting from the centre of the devastation, was the subject of a 'smear campaign', his colleague said, prior to his death.
Israel had accused al-Sharif of being a 'Hamas terrorist', which both he and Al Jazeera continuously refuted.
The United Nations
had warned
that al-Sharif would be targeted amid the 'unfounded' accusations.
'I call on all States, especially those who pride themselves on being champions of media freedom and safety for journalists, not to remain silent in the face of this blatant assault on journalists,' said Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, in July.
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'On the one hand, Israel refuses to allow any international journalists to enter Gaza, and on the other, it ruthlessly smears, threatens, obstructs, targets and kills the few local journalists remaining as the only eyes of the outside world on the ongoing genocide.'
Palestinians carry the bodies of journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qreiqeh, who were killed by the IDF
Alamy
Alamy
The Council to Protect Journalists said there is a pattern of the state labelling journalists as militants without any evidence.
More than 186 journalists have been killed since the start of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7, at least 180 of those journalists are Palestinians killed by Israel.
Speaking about the death of his colleagues, Al Jazeera's managing editor Mohamed Moawad told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that they didn't imagine they'd see the Israeli government openly threaten journalists.
'A government was threatening a journalist who was 24 hours on air, uncovering the atrocities in Gaza City.
'[Al-Sharif's] work is corroborated by so many news outlets around the globe.'
He said journalists in the region not only risk being attacked, but they're also experiencing hunger and deprivation, just as thousands of Gazans are.
Al-Sharif was 'giving a voice to the voiceless', Maowad said, and the government 'wants to silence the truth'.
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'We don't have any correspondent now in Gaza City, and that's telling.'
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…
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0)
August 10, 2025
Al-Sharif is survived by his wife, Umm Salah, and his son.
He requested that, in the event of his death, a message be shared on his X account.
It reads: '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.
'If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles.
'Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.'
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ireland will hold a demonstration at the Spire on Dublin's O'Connell Street today at 6pm to 'express outrage at Israel's ongoing targeting and killing of journalists'.
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