Five journalists killed in Gaza strike identified
The Israeli military alleged Al-Sharif was a Hamas terrorist who "posed as a journalist", but the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and a UN expert had previously warned of an Israeli "smear campaign" against him to justify his killing.
Al Jazeera condemned the incident as a "targeted assassination" and a "blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom," noting Israel has killed 10 of its journalists in Gaza.
CPJ and Reporters without Borders report an unprecedented number of journalists killed in Gaza, with Israel responsible for nearly 70 per cent of global journalist fatalities last year.
The strike occurred hours after Benjamin Netanyahu promised to allow some foreign media into Gaza, amidst growing criticism of Israel's military offensive.
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