Israel admits targeting reporter as Al Jazeera says 5 journalists killed in Gaza
Gaza City — Al Jazeera said two of its correspondents, including a prominent reporter, and three cameramen were killed in an Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City on Sunday.
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The Israeli military admitted in a statement to targeting Anas al-Sharif, the reporter it labelled as a 'terrorist' affiliated with Hamas.
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The attack was the latest to see journalists targeted in the 22-month war in Gaza, with around 200 media workers killed over the course of the conflict, according to media watchdogs.
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'Al-Sharif, 28, was killed on Sunday after a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital was hit. The well-known Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reportedly extensively from northern Gaza.'
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The channel said that five of its staff members were killed during the strike on a tent in Gaza City, listing the others as Mohammed Qreiqeh along with camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.
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The Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out the attack, saying it had struck Al Jazeera's al-Sharif and calling him a 'terrorist' who 'posed as a journalist'.
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'A short while ago, in Gaza City, the IDF struck the terrorist Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as a journalist for the Al Jazeera network,' it said on Telegram, using an acronym for the military.
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'Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organisation and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,' it added.
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Al-Sharif was one of the channel's most recognisable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage.
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Following a press conference by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, where the premier defended approving a new offensive in Gaza, al-Sharif posted messages on X describing 'intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment' on Gaza City.
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One of his final messages included a short video showing nearby Israeli strikes hitting Gaza City.
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In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement calling for his protection as it accused the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee of stepping up online attacks on the reporter by alleging that he was a Hamas terrorist.
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