Journalist killed in Israeli strike feared his own assassination - as IDF claims he was a 'terrorist'
Anas al Sharif died alongside four of his colleagues from the network: Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.
The Committee to Protect Journalists had recently expressed "grave" concerns about al Sharif's safety, and claimed he was "being targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign".
Israel Defence Forces confirmed the strike - and alleged al Sharif was a "terrorist" who was "responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops".
Last month, the reporter had said he lived 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".
As of 5 August, at least 186 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza - but foreign reporters have been barred from covering the war independently since the latest conflict began in 2023.
The Hamas-run government has described Israel's killing of these five Al Jazeera journalists as a "brutal and heinous".
A statement added: "The assassination was premeditated and deliberate, following a deliberate, direct targeting of the journalists' tent near al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
"The targeting of journalists and media institutions by Israeli aircraft is a full-fledged war crime aimed at silencing the truth and obliterating the traces of genocidal crimes."
Following Anas al Sharif's death, a post described as his "last will and testament" was posted on X.
It read: "If these words of mine reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice."
The 28-year-old added that he laments being able to fulfil his dream of seeing his son and daughter grow up - and alleged he had witnessed children "crushed by thousands of tonnes of Israeli bombs and missiles".
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The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Israeli unit tasked with smearing Gaza journalists as Hamas fighters
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The Guardian
9 minutes ago
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In March, Netanyahu made his move to take over the Kirya, Israel's answer to the Pentagon, in central Tel Aviv, nominating Lt Gen Eyal Zamir as the new IDF chief of staff. A broad-shouldered tank commander who had served as the prime minister's military aide a decade earlier, Zamir had close-up knowledge of his former boss and his inner circle. The rightwing politicians and twitterati praised him as an 'offensive' commander who would defeat Hamas, unlike his unlucky predecessor, Herzi Halevi, who carried the burden of the 7 October failure. And he was widely expected to preserve the draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox men, relieving Netanyahu of a political hot potato. At first, Zamir was quick to adapt. On 18 March, Israel breached a short-lived ceasefire with Hamas, intensifying its attacks and temporarily halting the flow of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza. 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True to form, Netanyahu likes to keep his options open, while leaving his opponents with uneasy choices and telling different, and often contradictory, stories to different people. Israeli pundits debate whether he wants to end the war, reach a partial deal, or keep a low-level and less costly fight. Only two things are clear: the prime minister has an insatiable quest for power and longevity in office; and the death toll in Gaza from bombing and malnutrition keeps rising, while Israelis keep looking the other way. Aluf Benn is the editor-in-chief of Haaretz Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Israel in talks to resettle Gaza Palestinians in South Sudan, sources say
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