Latest news with #MohammedQreiqeh
Al Jazeera
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Widow of slain Al Jazeera journalist demands justice
Widow of slain Al Jazeera journalist calls on world to stop Israel from killing others NewsFeed 'Stop the killing of our spouses.' The widow of slain Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Qreiqeh says he was a kind, loving father and husband before he was assassinated by Israeli forces to silence his coverage on the Gaza war. Video Duration 04 minutes 23 seconds 04:23 Video Duration 02 minutes 30 seconds 02:30 Video Duration 02 minutes 51 seconds 02:51 Video Duration 00 minutes 41 seconds 00:41 Video Duration 00 minutes 28 seconds 00:28 Video Duration 03 minutes 22 seconds 03:22 Video Duration 02 minutes 03 seconds 02:03
Al Jazeera
14 hours ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
‘I knew these giants, Al Jazeera's Mohammed Qreiqeh and Anas al-Sharif'
Deir el-Balah, Gaza – The first time I met Mohammed Qreiqeh was at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on January 31 when we had just returned from southern Gaza to the north. I went to Al Jazeera's media tent at the hospital, where he was. Photographer Abdel 'Abed' Hakim and I introduced ourselves, and we all chatted – about the situation, the war and our displacement to the south. At the time, Anas al-Sharif was doing a live report. I felt a warm sense of familiarity. I was finally seeing Anas, whose reports we had followed throughout our displacement. He didn't look different from how he did on screen, but he had a strong presence in person. We approached Anas after he finished his report and spoke briefly. He knew Abed well, but it was the first time I met him. He spoke with humility and an easy smile during our short conversation – he had to go report across northern Gaza. My brief meeting with Anas and Mohammed that day felt like standing before giants, powerful and unshakable. In their presence, I felt like nothing compared to their strength, determination and persistence despite the horrors that had unfolded in the north. Those of us reporting from the south often marvelled at their strength, and we were always proud of them. I met Mohammed and Anas several times after that. On April 13 when al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the centre of Gaza City was struck by two missiles, the meeting was brief but warm – the kind that you could feel how ready they were to help at any moment. That day, Mohammed advised me to focus on certain points and pointed me towards a place to get important interviews and information. Moments later, he excused himself to go live on air. This was something Anas and Mohammed shared: tireless work and a willingness to help any journalist on the ground, especially as veterans who knew every inch of northern Gaza. The last time I saw Anas was last week outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. I had gone there to film an interview. We exchanged a quick greeting because, as always, he was busy and getting ready for a live broadcast. I watched him gesture to his cameraman where to set up under the blazing sun. For a moment, I observed him, his energy and professionalism, despite the wave of Israeli incitement and threats against him. My parting words to him were: 'Stay safe,' because we all knew he could be a target at any moment. When the news came of his assassination on Sunday night, it was a catastrophe, not only for journalists, but for all Palestinians who considered Anas a son, someone who told their stories. Everyone hoped the news was wrong, but it wasn't. And it carried another blow: Mohammed, Moamen Aliwa, Mohammed Noufal and Ibrahim Zaher had also been targeted. Al Jazeera Arabic's entire northern Gaza crew had been wiped out – correspondents, cameramen and equipment – erased. The charges against them were ready-made, fabricated. But everyone knows Israel fears only one thing: the truth. It was a moment when I hated everything. I hated journalism – now a lie for a world that does not hear us or see us, a world that waits for our deaths, waits for us to become the news instead of delivering it. It was a moment heavy with futility, with the shamelessness of the crime and yet heavier with the rage that the crimes go unpunished. Why wasn't Anas protected? Why was he left alone, facing death at any moment? Why did we have to watch this as just another news item? Journalism has become a fear and a curse that shadows us all, every moment. Anas, Mohammed and their colleagues are no longer here to hold the microphones or cameras, but their voices, courage and relentless pursuit of truth will remain etched in Gaza's memory.
Al Jazeera
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Hundreds protest Gaza media coverage, murder of Al Jazeera journalists
Protests and memorials have erupted worldwide, and calls for accountability are growing after five Al Jazeera staff were assassinated in an Israeli strike on Gaza. Late on Sunday, an Israeli attack hit a media tent outside the main gate of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, killing Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, 28, along with colleagues Mohammed Qreiqeh, 33, Ibrahim Zaher, 25, Mohammed Noufal, 29, and Moamen Aliwa, 23. Two other Palestinians were also killed, bringing the total death toll from the strike to seven. Gaza's Government Media Office says at least 238 journalists have been killed since Israel's war on Gaza began in late 2023. The latest killings have prompted outrage around the world. In Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians filled the streets, waving flags and carrying photographs of the slain reporters. Hundreds rallied in Tunisia, demanding accountability for the attacks. Protests took place in Northern Ireland's capital, Belfast and Republic of Ireland's capital, Dublin, while vigils were held in Berlin, Germany and the Netherlands. Earlier demonstrations took place in Washington, DC, as well as London, Oslo and Stockholm. In the US capital, Washington, DC, protesters gathered outside a building housing NBC, Fox News, ITN and The Guardian. Demonstrators were 'banging pots and pans, making as much noise as possible' to disrupt live broadcasts happening inside, said Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi, reporting from the scene. 'The demonstrators say their coverage of the genocide in Gaza has given Israel room to kill so many Palestinians and, notably, so many journalists,' he said. 'Their message is: You are no longer the gatekeepers. We know what's happening in Gaza. We know about the genocide despite your best efforts,' he added. Rattansi said candles were lit for each journalist killed in Gaza, with particular attention given to al-Sharif. Hazami Barmada, one of the organisers of the Washington, DC protest, told Al Jazeera the media organisations had helped to create 'public consent for the murder of these journalists … by making excuses for the Israeli government to target and kill them'. She added: 'After their death, [the media organisations] continue to justify the illegal death, shooting, bombing and murdering journalists, which is a crime against humanity and a war crime.' Press freedom group PEN America said the killing of the five journalists in Gaza 'raises grave concerns' and 'could amount to a war crime'. 'This attack not only wiped out an entire team of journalists – at a time when there are fewer and fewer voices able to report from Gaza – but also took six more Palestinian lives in an onslaught that has already claimed thousands of lives,' said Liesl Gerntholtz, managing director of its PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center. 'The fact that [Anas] al-Sharif's family, friends, and colleagues must now defend him from unsupported accusations rather than being able to mourn him and honour his legacy as a journalist adds to the disgraceful nature of this crime,' Gerntholtz added. PEN America noted that al-Sharif was previously part of a Reuters team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2024. Elsewhere, an Australian journalists' union released a statement condemning the 'targeted killing of the five Palestinian media workers and the killing of nearly 200 others'. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), the largest organisation representing journalists in Australia, said al-Sharif's 'reports brought to the world the reality of the horrors being inflicted by the Israeli Government on the civilians in Gaza'. 'The targeting of journalists is a blatant attack on press freedom, and it is also a war crime. It must stop,' MEAA said, also calling for Israel's ban preventing international journalists from reporting from Gaza to be lifted. Separately, the United Nations condemned the killings, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling for an 'independent and impartial investigation', his spokesperson said. The killings come as Israel's Security Cabinet has approved Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to expand military operations and occupy Gaza City. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Al Jazeera
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Hundreds protest Gaza media coverage, murder of Al Jazeera Gaza journalists
Protests and memorials have erupted worldwide, and calls for accountability are growing after five Al Jazeera staff were assassinated in an Israeli strike on Gaza. Late on Sunday, an Israeli attack hit a media tent outside the main gate of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, killing Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, 28, along with colleagues Mohammed Qreiqeh, 33, Ibrahim Zaher, 25, Mohammed Noufal, 29, and Moamen Aliwa, 23. Two other Palestinians were also killed, bringing the total death toll from the strike to seven. Gaza's Government Media Office says at least 238 journalists have been killed since Israel's war on Gaza began in late 2023. The latest killings have prompted outrage around the world. In Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians filled the streets, waving flags and carrying photographs of the slain reporters. Hundreds rallied in Tunisia, demanding accountability for the attacks. Protests took place in Northern Ireland's capital, Belfast and Republic of Ireland's capital, Dublin, while vigils were held in Berlin, Germany and the Netherlands. Earlier demonstrations took place in Washington, DC, as well as London, Oslo and Stockholm. In the US capital, Washington, DC, protesters gathered outside a building housing NBC, Fox News, ITN and The Guardian. Demonstrators were 'banging pots and pans, making as much noise as possible' to disrupt live broadcasts happening inside, said Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi, reporting from the scene. 'The demonstrators say their coverage of the genocide in Gaza has given Israel room to kill so many Palestinians and, notably, so many journalists,' he said. 'Their message is: You are no longer the gatekeepers. We know what's happening in Gaza. We know about the genocide despite your best efforts,' he added. Rattansi said candles were lit for each journalist killed in Gaza, with particular attention given to al-Sharif. Hazami Barmada, one of the organisers of the Washington, DC protest, told Al Jazeera the media organisations had helped to create 'public consent for the murder of these journalists … by making excuses for the Israeli government to target and kill them'. She added: 'After their death, [the media organisations] continue to justify the illegal death, shooting, bombing and murdering journalists, which is a crime against humanity and a war crime.' Press freedom group PEN America said the killing of the five journalists in Gaza 'raises grave concerns' and 'could amount to a war crime'. 'This attack not only wiped out an entire team of journalists – at a time when there are fewer and fewer voices able to report from Gaza – but also took six more Palestinian lives in an onslaught that has already claimed thousands of lives,' said Liesl Gerntholtz, managing director of its PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center. 'The fact that [Anas] al-Sharif's family, friends, and colleagues must now defend him from unsupported accusations rather than being able to mourn him and honour his legacy as a journalist adds to the disgraceful nature of this crime,' Gerntholtz added. PEN America noted that al-Sharif was previously part of a Reuters team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2024. Elsewhere, an Australian journalists' union released a statement condemning the 'targeted killing of the five Palestinian media workers and the killing of nearly 200 others'. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), the largest organisation representing journalists in Australia, said al-Sharif's 'reports brought to the world the reality of the horrors being inflicted by the Israeli Government on the civilians in Gaza'. 'The targeting of journalists is a blatant attack on press freedom, and it is also a war crime. It must stop,' MEAA said, also calling for Israel's ban preventing international journalists from reporting from Gaza to be lifted. Separately, the United Nations condemned the killings, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling for an 'independent and impartial investigation', his spokesperson said. The killings come as Israel's Security Cabinet has approved Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to expand military operations and occupy Gaza City. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Global outrage mounts as funeral held for five journalists killed by Israel
The death of the prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, killed along with four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, prompted condemnation from around the world, as hundreds of mourners carried their bodies through the streets of Gaza City. Sharif, one of Al Jazeera's most recognisable faces in Gaza, was killed while inside a tent for journalists outside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Sunday night. Seven people were killed in the attack, including the Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and the camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, according to the Qatar-based broadcaster. On Monday, the Guardian visited the site where the journalists were killed. Wadi Abu al-Saud, a Palestinian journalist who was near the tent when the Israeli strike occurred on Sunday, said the attack happened at 11.22pm, just after he had finished filming his latest news bulletin. 'I entered the tent opposite theirs, raised my phone to make a call, and then the explosion occurred, Saud said. 'A piece of shrapnel hit my phone. I looked back and saw people burning in flames. I tried to extinguish them. Anas and the others had died instantly from the strike.' In two videos of the aftermath of the strike, Saud can be seen carrying the bodies of those killed. 'From now on, I will not continue the coverage,' he said. 'I will return to my life as a citizen. The truth has died and the coverage has ended.' The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted carrying out the attack, claiming Sharif was the leader of a Hamas cell responsible for rocket attacks against Israel – an allegation that Al Jazeera and Sharif had previously dismissed as baseless. It was the first time during the war that Israel's military has swiftly claimed responsibility after a journalist was killed in a strike. Pro-Israel advocates on social media hailed the killing of Sharif and posted photos handed out by the IDF of photos the journalist took with the former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, taken before Hamas's attack on 7 October. Sara Qudah, the Middle East and north Africa director at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said: 'Israel's pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom.' In July, Sharif told CPJ that he lived with the 'feeling that I could be bombed and martyred at any moment'. Reporters Without Borders condemned the 'acknowledged murder by the Israeli army' of Sharif in Gaza and called on the international community to intervene. Keir Starmer's spokesperson said: 'We are gravely concerned by the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza. Reporters covering conflicts are afforded protection under international humanitarian law and journalists must be able to report independently without fear, and Israel must ensure journalists can carry out their work safely.' The UN human rights office condemned the targeting of the journalists' tent, saying it was 'in grave breach of international humanitarian law'. Al Jazeera said the attack was 'a desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza' and called Sharif 'one of Gaza's bravest journalists'. People gathered at Sheikh Radwan cemetery in the heart of the Gaza Strip to mourn the journalists, whose bodies lay wrapped in white sheets at al-Shifa hospital before their burial. Friends, colleagues and relatives embraced and consoled one another. The area where the attack took place was crowded with media workers on Monday, some speaking to cameras or mobile phones, others taking photos. Islam al-Za'anoun, a news correspondent for Palestine TV and several Arab channels who participated in the funeral, said Sunday's attack was 'a turning point in the world of journalism'. She said: 'Despite all the threats he received and the Israeli media's incitement against him, al-Sharif continued reporting. Now one question haunts me: Who will be next on the list? Will it be me?' Bilal Abu Khalifa, a presenter at Al Jazeera, said he had met Sharif four days ago. 'He told me he was in danger,' Abu Khalifa said. 'I asked him not to go out or appear publicly too often. He gave me a very simple answer: Bilal, I will not leave Gaza except to the sky! I will not leave Gaza even if I am killed. I know I am on the assassination list, but I will continue to expose the crimes of the Israeli army against my people and show the world, and everyone who stands by them, the truth.' In a final message, which Al Jazeera said had been written on 6 April and which was posted to Sharif's X account after his death, the reporter said he had 'lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification.' He continued: 'Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half.' After the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023, Israel barred international journalists from entering Gaza – one of the rare moments when international reporters have been denied access to an active war zone. Since then, the task of documenting the war has fallen heavily on Palestinian journalists, often at the cost of their lives – themselves caught in its devastation, displaced multiple times, their homes reduced to rubble, friends and relatives killed, and at times queueing for food at perilous distribution points. According to Gaza's government media office, 238 journalists have been killed by Israel since the war started. CPJ said at least 186 journalists had been killed in the Gaza conflict. Israel denies deliberately targeting journalists. In a report released this year, the Watson School of International and Public Affairs' costs of war project said more journalists had been killed in Gaza than in both world wars, the Vietnam war, the wars in Yugoslavia and the US war in Afghanistan combined.
