3 days ago
Chain of 'Israeli' commanders behind Anas Al-Sharif's killing revealed
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) have filed a joint case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing top 'Israeli' military and political leaders of ordering the assassination of journalist Anas Al-Sharif and at least five other Palestinian reporters in Gaza.
They published the announcement in a report they titled 'The Hunt for Anas Al-Sharif's Killers.'
The filing takes the form of an Article 15 Communication, a legal mechanism under the Rome Statute that allows individuals, organizations, or states to submit information about alleged crimes to the International Criminal Court. Unlike a general complaint, an Article 15 Communication is designed to trigger the ICC Prosecutor's preliminary examination, potentially leading to a full investigation and prosecutions.
In this case, the submission lays out, step by step, the chain of command and operational decisions that investigators say led to Al-Sharif's killing outside Al-Shifa Hospital, where he was working from a clearly marked press tent.
PCHR's evidence ties his death to a broader, documented pattern: journalists in Gaza are first branded as 'terrorists' by 'Israeli' officials, then eliminated in targeted strikes. This pattern is reflected in the cases of Hussam Shabat, Ismail Al-Ghoul, Ahmed Al-Louh, Hamza Wael Al-Dahdouh, and Samer Abu Daqa, each assassinated after such public vilification.
Tracing the chain of command
HRF's investigation followed the strike from 'the moment a drone camera locked onto Al-Sharif's position to the instant the missile hit.' Through operational pattern analysis, signals intelligence, and military expertise, the chain of responsibility identified includes:
Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir – IDF Chief of the General Staff
Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar – Commander of the Israeli Air Force
Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor – Southern Command Commander
Brig.-Gen. Yossi Sariel – Former Commander of Unit 8200
'General A.' – Current Commander of Unit 8200
Palmachim Airbase Commander (undisclosed)
'Black Snake' Squadron Commander (undisclosed)
Col. Avichay Adraee – IOF Arabic-language spokesperson, accused of orchestrating a smear campaign against Al-Sharif
At the political level, the report points to 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of promoting a strategy to eliminate journalists as part of the Gaza assault.
'The smear before the strike'
HRF also revealed what it calls 'the smear before the strike', a campaign to delegitimize Al-Sharif long before his killing. For nearly two years, Adraee used social media to brand him a Hamas operative, mock his emotional reporting, and frame his journalism as propaganda. PCHR says similar campaigns preceded the killings of Hamza Al-Dahdouh, Ismail Al-Ghoul, and Hussam Shabat.
Legal accusations and demands
The ICC filing accuses those named of:
The submission demands that the ICC prosecutor:
Issue arrest warrants for the named officials.
Expand Netanyahu's warrant to include crimes against journalists.
Add all 220+ journalist killings in Gaza to the ICC's Palestine investigation.
'This is not symbolic litigation,' said HRF Chairman Dyab Abou Jahjah. 'The assassination of Anas Al-Sharif was so blunt, so arrogant, and so drenched in contempt for human life, truth, the legal order, and humanity itself, that it cannot and will not be allowed to pass into silence.'
