BBC condemned for repeating Israeli narrative on slain journalist Anas al-Sharif
Late on Sunday local time, prominent Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh were killed in a drone strike on a press tent near al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The strike also took the lives of Al Jazeera staff Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, as well as freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khalidi.
While many around the world mourned their losses, the BBC's coverage of the slain journalists received backlash for repeating Israel's accusation that Sharif had a "dual role" as "journalist and terrorist".
Israel has routinely made such claims about journalists, which have been strongly rejected by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
One social media user suggested that this was a character assassination, right after Israel killed him.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
"Lets bring in our colleague Yolande Knell who is in Jerusalem. The accusation from Israel is that Anas al Sharif had a dual role, he was both in their words journalist and terrorist..."
The IDF assassinated him. Now the BBC assassinates his character. pic.twitter.com/K34mvoRnNv — Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) August 11, 2025
In another report, a BBC news anchor said, 'Israel says Anas Al-Sharif was a member of Hamas, a claim long rejected by the news network, his family, and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).'
For many on social media, the news anchor adding the fact that Al Jazeera and the CPJ rejected these claims was not enough, with one saying, 'the BBC stooped so low it should be banned from broadcasting after parroting the Israeli narrative.'
The @BBC just stooped so low it should be banned from broadcasting after parroting the Israeli narrative about murdered @AnasAlSharif0 pic.twitter.com/y7K73Iz42e — Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) August 10, 2025
The BBC's coverage also ignited criticism of many other western media outlets.
Many on social media suggested that media outlets that remained silent while Israel continued its assaults on Gaza for 21 months were 'complicit' in the "genocidal machine". One social media user compiled headlines from western media outlets, in which the German Bild magazine wrote, 'Journalist in disguise as terrorists killed in Gaza'.
Anas a beacon of light, killed by cowards to hide their crimes.
You never stood when they threatened him for telling the truth#Reuters, #Bild, #Sky, #BBC & all other apologists/propagandists for a genocidal machine you're complicit
We will never forget.
We will never forgive https://t.co/lqr6pDKR4I pic.twitter.com/eqpMzFIVJw — Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid) August 11, 2025
Others praised Sharif for standing 'unbowed before Zionism, exposing Israel's war crimes with integrity and honour'.
In one social media post, a person shared a screenshot from the BBC, saying: 'Anas Al-Sharif worked for a Hamas media team in Gaza before the current conflict.' The person wrote, 'The BBC has repeatedly abandoned the core principles of journalism, choosing to support the genocide rather than report the truth about its victims.'
The BBC (@BBC) insists on adopting the Israeli narrative, falsely claiming that Anas Al-Sharif was affiliated with Hamas.
Al-Sharif was broadcasting and reporting the genocide in #Gaza live, day in and day out—and for that, he was deliberately killed.
The BBC does not shy away… pic.twitter.com/kbR7Ajf8ck — Sahat English 🇵🇸 (@sahatenglish) August 11, 2025
According to Gaza's government media office, Israel has killed 238 Palestinian journalists since the start of the war in October 2023. Over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave, and starvation is looming, with more than 200 dead from hunger.
Rights groups and press freedom advocates have described the war in Gaza as the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern history while human rights groups, scholars and some countries quantify it as a genocide.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
9 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Netanyahu says backs 'Greater Israel', which includes parts of Jordan and Egypt
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he feels 'very' connected to the vision of a 'Greater Israel', which includes occupied Palestinian territory as well as parts of Syria, Egypt and Jordan. During an interview on Tuesday with i24 News, Netanyahu was presented with an amulet depicting 'a map of the Promised Land' by interviewer Sharon Gal. Gal then asked the prime minister whether he felt connected to this vision of Greater Israel. 'Very much,' Netanyahu replied. While the amulet itself did not appear on screen, the term 'Greater Israel' is widely understood to refer to a far-reaching expansionist vision. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters It has previously been used by ultra-nationalist Israelis to claim parts of Jordan, Egypt, and Syria - along with the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip - as part of a future Israeli state. Netanyahu also said in the interview that he felt he was on 'historic and spiritual mission'.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
UN chief puts Israel 'on notice' over sexual violence by armed forces
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has placed Israel"on notice" for possible inclusion in the UN's "blacklist" of countries and groups suspected of committing sexual violence in armed conflict, a letter posted by Israel's ambassador to the body showed. In his letter to Ambassador Danny Danon, Mr Guterres said he was "gravely concerned" about reports of violations against Palestinians by the Israeli military and security forces in several prisons, a detention centre and a military base. The UN chief said Israel could be listed as abusers in his next report on sexual violence in conflict "due to significant concerns of patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations". 'Cases documented by the United Nations indicate patterns of sexual violence such as genital violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner,' Mr Guterres said. Israel has denied access to UN monitors and Mr Guterres said this made it difficult to make a "definitive determination" about the patterns, trends and use of sexual violence by Israeli forces. He called on the Israeli government to take the necessary measures to end all acts of sexual violence and allow investigations. In March, UN-backed human rights groups accused Israel of sexual and gender-based violence. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory documented violations and accused Israeli forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. Last year, the Israeli army said it had detained nine soldiers over the alleged sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman prison. At the time, Israeli media published a video appearing to show soldiers sexually assaulting a male prisoner, with the US State Department describing it as "horrific". Mr Danon dismissed the concerns as baseless accusations. "The UN must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages. Israel will not shy away from protecting its citizens and will continue to act in accordance with international law," Mr Danon said. Hamas was also listed in the report as a group "credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence" in armed conflict. 'We categorically reject all these allegations," senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters. The inclusion of the group comes after recently published reports documenting alleged sexual violence during the October 7, 2023 attack and against hostages in captivity. Reuters reported that Mr Guterres had also issued a similar warning to Russia. The UN chief wrote that he was "gravely concerned about credible information of violations by Russian armed and security forces and affiliated armed groups" primarily against Ukrainian prisoners of war, in 50 official and 22 unofficial detention facilities in Ukraine and Russia.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
How Italy adopted a harsher tone on Israel amid public anger over Gaza war
Italy, a close Israeli ally in the EU, has adopted a harsher tone on the country in recent weeks as domestic pressure from public opinion over the war in Gaza mounts. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto this week condemned Israel's intention to occupy Gaza city, saying the country's cabinet had "lost its reason and humanity". Recently pressed by pro-Palestine activists to "say a word about the genocide", Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni responded that she "worked every day on the Palestine genocide", in apparent acknowledgement of a hotly contested term that is rejected by Israel and the US. With a population estimated at 59 million, Italy is the EU's third-largest economy. Its position is closely scrutinised as any shift in the bloc's bigger countries could influence discussions over an EU vote in Brussels on imposing sanctions on Israel. "The political class, which has been rather silent over the past two years, senses that is no longer strategic to remain silent," said Maria Luisa Fantappie, a programme head at the Institute of International Affairs in Rome. "They are feeling pressure from the bottom." Ms Meloni is regarded as one of US President Donald Trump's strongest allies in Europe and has rarely publicly backed policy at odds with his. Yet she also has to reckon with polls showing that support for Israel is at an all-time low. A June YouGov survey found that at six per cent, Italians scored the lowest when asked if Israel had responded proportionally to the October 7 attacks, compared to Germans, Danes, French and Spanish. Italy has rarely taken pioneering positions in foreign policy issues in the past decades Head of Africa and Middle East Programme at Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome In a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Ms Meloni on Monday expressed her "deep concern" over Israel's plans to occupy Gaza city after 22 months of war. Israel's military operation has killed 61,599 Palestinians after about 1,200 people died in a Hamas-led attack against Israel. Comparison to Putin Yet the Italian cabinet is unlikely to translate its change in tone to policy as it probably wants to stay aligned with the US, analysts have told The National. Kelly Petillo, programme manager for the Middle East and North Africa at the European Council on Foreign Relations, described Mr Crosetto's statements on Monday as "the toughest so far expressed by a member of the Meloni government." Mr Crosetto, a harsh Russian critic, told the daily La Stampa that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had adopted methods that had become "dangerously similar" to those of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. His comments were probably motivated by the fact that even within Israel's defence establishment there is reportedly no support for the recently announced new plan to take over Gaza, Ms Petillo said. Experts expressed doubt that Italy would lift its opposition to a suspension, even partially, of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which would represent the most meaningful step taken at a co-ordinated level against Israel. Ms Meloni, who last month visited Algeria, takes pride in engaging diplomatically with Arab states. She is perpetuating an Italian tradition, adopted previously by centrist governments, of not displeasing the US and keeping business and diplomatic ties with Israel, Ms Fantappie said. "Italy has rarely taken pioneering positions in foreign policy issues in the past decades," she added. No Palestine state recognition Italy also appears to be no closer to recognising Palestinian statehood, despite a push by France which has so far convinced G7 countries such as Canada and the UK, as well as Australia. Rome's position remains steadfast, although Italy was one of the 17 states that took part in a two-state solution conference in New York last month, led by Saudi Arabia and France. "Italy is keen for recognition to have an impact but is aware that if Washington doesn't change tack, then Israel will not either and to Italy this means recognising Palestine will not have impact," Ms Petillo said. Recognising a Palestinian state does not equate with endorsing sanctions against Israel, Ms Fantappie highlighted. "Supporting the Global Alliance for a two-solution doesn't necessarily mean and entail a substantial revision of their own relation to Israel," she said. France, which has led the initiative, has also shied away from imposing sanctions on Israel, and has said it would not enforce an ICC arrest warrant against Mr Netanyahu. The latest and most controversial move to be taken by a European country was Germany's decision to partially suspend weapons exports to Israel. Germany views Israel's security as "reason of state" because of its responsibility in the Holocaust, and its weapons exports represent about one third of Israel's military purchases. The decision caused criticism among some politicians in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's political party. Mr Merz has defended his decision, saying his country could not supply weapons in a conflict in which hundreds or thousands could be killed. Neither Italy nor Germany have clarified their position on the EU Commission's recent proposal to partially suspend Israel from a flagship research programme, Horizon. Although the move is widely described as symbolic, it would be the first concrete step at EU level against Israel, and is supported by countries, including France and The Netherlands. For now, it appears that Italy and Germany are watching each other closely. "Italy is watching Germany's posturing very carefully and might indeed shift its position if Berlin does too in a substantial way – which at this stage is still uncertain it will happen," Ms Petillo said.
