Tel Aviv (BN24) – A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, previously named by Israel as a Hamas operative, was killed along with four of his colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, in what press freedom groups are calling one of the deadliest attacks on journalists in the Gaza war.
Anas Al Sharif, 28, died when Israeli forces struck a tent near Al Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, according to Gaza officials and Al Jazeera. The network said the attack killed four of its journalists — Al Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal — as well as an assistant. Gaza hospital officials reported that two other civilians were also killed in the same strike. On Monday, medics confirmed that freelance journalist Mohammad Al-Khaldi also died from the attack.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Al Sharif led a Hamas cell and played a central role in launching rocket attacks against Israeli targets, citing intelligence and documents allegedly recovered in Gaza. Al Jazeera strongly rejected that claim, as did Al Sharif himself in previous statements, insisting he had no ties to Hamas.
Al Sharif had gained international recognition as part of a Reuters photography team that won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Known for his frontline reporting, he was described by Al Jazeera as “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and “among the last remaining voices in Gaza conveying the tragic reality to the world.”
Press freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), condemned the killings, accusing Israel of repeatedly labeling journalists as militants without producing credible evidence. “Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Director Sara Qudah.
The war in Gaza has been the deadliest conflict on record for journalists, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute. The Gaza media office says at least 238 journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023, while CPJ’s tally lists 186.
Al Sharif’s life had been flagged as at risk by U.N. Special Rapporteur Irene Khan and other rights advocates, who warned that Israel’s allegations against him were unsubstantiated. Last October, Israel publicly named him among six Gaza journalists it alleged were members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, claims Al Jazeera dismissed as “fabricated.”
Before his death, Al Sharif posted on X (formerly Twitter) to his more than 500,000 followers, reporting that Gaza City had been under intense bombardment for over two hours. He had also recorded a message to be shared if he was killed: “I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent.”
Hamas condemned the killings, calling them a prelude to a larger Israeli military operation in Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged a new offensive aimed at dismantling Hamas strongholds, as Gaza faces a worsening hunger crisis after 22 months of war.
