Five Al Jazeera Journalists Killed in Israeli Airstrike in Gaza as IDF Claims One Was 'Hamas Cell Leader Posing as Correspondent'

International Business Times

9 hours ago

Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed Sunday when an Israeli strike hit their tent in Gaza. The IDF said it was a targeted attack on "the head of a Hamas terrorist cell" allegedly posing as a journalist. The Doha, Qatar-based network said the explosion killed two reporters and three cameramen.
Al Jazeera identified the victims as correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. The fifth victim was Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, 28, known for his extensive coverage of the release of Israeli hostages. Al-Sharif made headlines in January when footage of him removing his armored press vest went viral after a ceasefire was announced.
Innocent Victims
Anas al-Sharif X
Just last month, Al-Sharif spoke about his fears that he might be targeted and killed for revealing the reality of events in Gaza. He said he worked "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."
On Sunday, a spokesperson for the network stated: "Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif has been killed alongside three colleagues in what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack,."
The director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said, "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."
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), the nation's military, publicly celebrated al-Sharif's death in a social media post.
The IDF alleged that the reporter was actually a "terrorist" pretending to be an Al Jazeera journalist and was involved in launching rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.
In a post on X that began with a target emoji, the IDF wrote: "STRUCK: Hamas terrorist Anas al-Sharif, who posed as an Al Jazeera journalist."
"Al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops.
"Intelligence and documents from Gaza, including rosters, terrorist training lists and salary records, prove he was a Hamas operative integrated into Al Jazeera.
"A press badge isn't a shield for terrorism."
Identifying a Terrorist
Anas al-Sharif X
The IDF, in a separate statement on messaging app Telegram, said: "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.
"Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops."
According to Reporters Without Borders, since October 2023, over 190 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, while foreign correspondents have been banned from reporting on the conflict.
The National Union of Journalists was among the groups that signed an open letter last week urging measures to protect journalists working in the Palestinian territories.
The letter said: "At the time of writing this letter, at least 189 journalists and media workers have been killed – including 175 Palestinians – in the ongoing war over the last 21 months, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
"In comparison, around 60 were killed during the Vietnam War. Many died while clearly identified as members of the press. Some were killed alongside their families, in their homes.
"These are not statistics. These are human beings, doing their jobs under conditions few of us in the UK could comprehend, bearing witness so the rest of us might grasp the enormity of what is happening.
"We're calling on the UK government to act - to unequivocally condemn the targeting of journalists and media workers in Gaza. These deaths cross a fundamental red line. Journalism is not a crime.
"Reporting is not terrorism. The erasure of journalists is not "collateral damage" - it is a warning shot to the world, a signal that no truth is safe and no witness is welcome."
After al-Sharif's death, a message described as his "last will and testament" was shared on the social media platform X. The message read, "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."