Israeli airstrike kills two Al Jazeera correspondents in Gaza City
Anadolu Agency, citing the Qatar-based channel, quoted the director of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza as saying, "Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qraiqea were martyred in an Israeli strike on their tent," without providing further details.
The channel later confirmed the deaths of al-Sharif and Qraiqea in the strike.
The Gaza Media Office announced that the number of journalists killed since the start of Israel's offensive in Gaza on Oct 7, 2023, has risen to 237, following the deaths of al-Sharif and Qraiqea, along with three other journalists.
The other journalists killed have been identified as photojournalists Ibrahim Dahir and Moumin Alaywa, and assistant photojournalist Mohammed Noufal.
"The assassination was premeditated and deliberate, with a direct targeting of the journalists' tent near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. This heinous crime also resulted in injuries to several other journalists," it stated.
Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, told Anadolu that the death toll from the strike on the tent in front of the complex's gate has risen to seven, including five journalists.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army admitted in a statement to killing al-Sharif in Gaza City, while ignoring the deaths of Qraiqea and the three other journalists in the same strike.
In his will, which he requested be published after his death, al-Sharif wrote: "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.
"Allah knows that I gave all the effort and strength I had to be a support and a voice for my people ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of Jabalia refugee camp," he said.
"I have lived pain in all its forms and tasted grief and loss many times. Yet I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, hoping that Allah would bear witness against those who remained silent, those who accepted our killing, those who suffocated our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered bodies of our children and women, and who did not stop the massacre our people have been subjected to for more than a year and a half."
Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its war on Gaza, where it has killed more than 61,000 victims since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. – Bernama-Anadolu
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