Five Al Jazeera Journalists Killed in Israeli Strike Near Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital
- Five Al Jazeera journalists, including prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif, have been killed in an Israeli air strike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital
- Israel claims al-Sharif was affiliated with Hamas, but press freedom advocates say the evidence is unsubstantiated and part of a troubling pattern
- The strike has intensified global concern over the safety of journalists in Gaza, where reporting conditions are increasingly perilous
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Five Al Jazeera journalists, including renowned correspondent Anas al-Sharif, were killed in an Israeli air strike near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the broadcaster confirmed.
The incident occurred on Sunday at a tent designated for media personnel stationed at the hospital’s main gate.
Source: Twitter
Al Jazeera identified the victims as al-Sharif, fellow correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. The network described the strike as a “targeted assassination” and condemned it as “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.”
Israel accuses Al-Sharif of Hamas ties
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged targeting al-Sharif, alleging he led a Hamas terrorist cell and was involved in orchestrating rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and troops. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed outrage over the killings and criticised Israel for failing to substantiate its claims.
“This is a pattern we’ve seen from Israel – not just in the current war, but in the decades preceding – in which typically a journalist will be killed by Israeli forces and then Israel will say after the fact that they are a terrorist, but provides very little evidence to back up those claims,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg in an interview with the BBC.
Al Jazeera defends journalist’s credibility
Mohamed Moawad, Al Jazeera’s managing editor, told the BBC that al-Sharif was a fully accredited journalist and “the only voice” revealing the realities inside Gaza. Moawad insisted the reporters were not near combat zones at the time of the strike.
“They were targeted in their tent, they weren’t covering from the front line,” he said. “The fact is that the Israeli government is wanting to silence the coverage of any channel of reporting from inside Gaza. This is something that I haven’t seen before in modern history.”
Al-Sharif, aged 28, appeared to be posting on social media platform X moments before his death, warning of intense bombardment in Gaza City. A post published after his reported death was believed to have been pre-written and released by a friend.
Graphic footage and mounting casualties among Gaza journalists
Verified videos from the aftermath show bodies being carried from the scene, with one man in a media vest identifying al-Sharif among the dead. Al Jazeera initially reported four staff fatalities, later revising the number to five. In total, seven people were killed in the strike.
The IDF reiterated its stance, claiming al-Sharif posed as a journalist and had undergone “terrorist training courses.” Similar accusations were made in August 2024 when Al Jazeera journalist Ismael Al-Ghoul was killed in an air strike. The IDF alleged his involvement in Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks, a claim the network firmly denied.
Journalists in Gaza face starvation and isolation
The CPJ reports that 186 journalists have died since Israel’s military campaign began in October 2023. Those remaining face dire conditions, including food shortages and restricted access to aid.
A joint statement from the BBC, Reuters, AP, and AFP last month expressed “desperate concern” for journalists in Gaza, citing cases of freelancers collapsing from hunger.
More than 100 humanitarian organisations have warned of mass starvation in the territory. Israel, which controls aid entry, has accused these groups of “serving the propaganda of Hamas.”
The Israeli offensive was launched in retaliation for the 7 October Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages. Since then, over 61,000 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Source: AFP
War escalates in Gaza
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Rawhi Mushtaha, the head of the Hamas government in Gaza, has been reportedly killed.
Legit.ng reports that the attack marks a significant escalation in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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Source: Legit.ng
