Five Al Jazeera employees were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, including journalist Anas al Sharif, who had feared he was being targeted for assassination.
Al Sharif died alongside colleagues Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had recently raised “grave” concerns about al Sharif’s safety, alleging he was subject to an Israeli military smear campaign.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed the strike, accusing al Sharif of being a “terrorist” and the head of a Hamas terrorist cell responsible for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and troops. Al Jazeera condemned the strike as a “targeted assassination” and “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.”
Last month, al Sharif spoke openly about living with the constant fear of being killed, saying his coverage “harms them and damages their image in the world.” Since the latest conflict began in 2023, at least 186 journalists and media workers have died in Gaza, with foreign reporters barred from independent coverage.
The Hamas-run Gaza government described the killings as “brutal and heinous,” accusing Israel of deliberately targeting journalists’ tents near al Shifa Hospital. It called the attack a “full-fledged war crime aimed at silencing the truth and obliterating the traces of genocidal crimes.”
Following al Sharif’s death, a post described as his “last will and testament” was shared on X, stating: “If these words of mine reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.” The 28-year-old lamented not being able to see his children grow up and urged people not to forget Gaza or him in their prayers.
The CPJ reported al Sharif’s father was killed in an Israeli airstrike in December 2023, after the journalist had received threats from Israeli officers demanding he stop his coverage. Israel shut down Al Jazeera’s television network in the country in May last year.