3 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Anas al-Sharif Killed After Refusing Israeli Offer of Safe Passage from Gaza
DaysofPal – Four days before he was assassinated, Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif was offered safe passage out of Gaza on the condition that he stop reporting; his brother revealed this week.
In an interview with journalist Ahmed Jalal, published on Wednesday, Mohamed al-Sharif said the offer extended not only to Anas but also to his wife, children, and the rest of his family. 'It was the latest of several offers he had received,' Mohamed explained.
But Anas refused. 'I will never abandon my people while they are living in this situation,' he told his brother. 'Either I live to witness the end of the war, or be martyred. Other than that, I have no option or decision. Whatever God has destined will happen.'
Despite knowing Israel was preparing a full-scale invasion of Gaza City, Anas chose to stay.
A Voice Israel Tried to Silence
Anas's final post on X reflected his defiance and sense of duty. 'The occupation is now openly threatening a full-scale invasion of Gaza. For 22 months, the city has been bleeding under relentless bombardment … If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people's voices silenced, their faces erased, and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop. Silence is complicity.'
The threats against Anas were not new. Since December 2023, he has been documenting the Israeli army's targeting of displacement centers, UNRWA schools, hospitals, and densely populated civilian neighborhoods. That same month, Israel bombed his family home, killing his father.
Soon after, Israeli intelligence and media committees launched a campaign of incitement against him, labeling him a 'terrorist.' Anas dismissed the accusations as deliberate attempts to silence him.
'My message is clear: I will not be silent. I will not stop. My voice will remain a witness to every crime until this war stops,' he wrote defiantly.
International watchdogs took notice. In late July 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned of 'direct threats and public incitement' against Anas after videos and statements circulated online naming him and questioning his work.
Friends say Anas remained fully aware of the danger he faced but refused to abandon his mission of reporting from Gaza. To the very end, he saw it as his duty to his people and to the truth.
On Sunday evening, August 10, 2025, Israeli occupation forces assassinated Anas al-Sharif along with five others by targeting a journalists' tent near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
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