Source: © First Post
First Post One of
Al Jazeera’s most recognisable faces in Gaza, journalist Anas al-Sharif has died following a targeted Israeli attack on a tent housing journalists in Gaza City on Sunday evening
Four colleagues, Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, also died in the attack.
The journalists’ deaths and the attack has been widely reported in the media, including Al Jazeera.
A well-known 28-year-old Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent al-Sharif, has reported extensively from northern Gaza.
Shortly before the attacks, he wrote on X that “Israel had launched intense, concentrated bombardment – also known as “fire belts” – on the eastern and southern parts of Gaza City” for more than two hours.
Al Jazeera states in its report, “In his last video, the loud booms of Israel’s intensive missile bombing can be heard in the background as the dark sky is lit in a flash of orange light.”
It also published a final message from the journalist, written on April 6, that he asked to be published in the event of his death.
“Al-Sharif said he "lived the pain in all its details” and “tasted grief and loss repeatedly”.
“Despite that, I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent, those who accepted our killing, and those who suffocated our very breaths,” he says.
“Not even the mangled bodies of our children and women moved their hearts or stopped the massacre that our people have been subjected to for over a year and a half.”
He expresses sorrow for having had to leave his wife, Bayan, behind, and for not seeing his son, Salah, and daughter, Sham, grow up.
Al Jazeera statement
In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the killings.
It cites the killings as “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”.
The network states, “This attack comes amid the catastrophic consequences of the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which has seen the relentless slaughter of civilians, forced starvation, and the obliteration of entire communities.
“The order to assassinate Anas Al Sharif, one of Gaza’s bravest journalists, and his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza.”
Al Jazeera has called on the international community and all relevant organisations to “take decisive measures to halt this ongoing genocide and end the deliberate targeting of journalists”.
“Al Jazeera emphasises that immunity for perpetrators and the lack of accountability embolden Israel’s actions and encourage further oppression against witnesses to the truth,” the network said.
Hamas affiliation
Last month, Israel accused al-Sharif of being a member of Hamas’s military wing
In a statement confirming the deliberate killing of al-Sharif, Israel’s military accused the journalist of heading a Hamas cell and “advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and [Israeli] troops”.
It also alleged that it had documents providing “unequivocal proof” of his involvement with the Palestinian group.
“Fears for al-Sharif’s safety are well-founded as there is growing evidence that journalists in Gaza have been targeted and killed by the Israeli army on the basis of unsubstantiated claims that they were Hamas terrorists,” Khan says.
Committee to Protect Journalists concern
Last month The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed its concern al-Sharif’s safety.
It stated that he was being “targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign”.
The BBC reports that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has confirmed it had targeted al-Sharif, alleging he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".
It also said he had "advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops" and claimed to have Hamas documents that showed he had been in one of the group's units in 2019.
IDF spokesperson Avichai Adraee posted a video in July of al-Sharif on X and accused him of being a member of Hamas' military wing.
However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says Israel has failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations.
Labelling journalists as militants
Israel has routinely accused Palestinian journalists in Gaza of being Hamas members as part of what rights groups say is an effort to discredit their reporting of Israeli abuses.
According to the CPJ, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel's military offensive in Gaza in October 2023.
Last month, the BBC and three news agencies - Reuters, AP and AFP – issued a joint statement expressing "desperate concern" for journalists in the Strip.
“Israel’s pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” says Sara Qudah, CPJ’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.
A Reuters report says Palestinian militant group Hamas, which runs Gaza, said the killing may signal the start of an Israeli offensive.
"The assassination of journalists and the intimidation of those who remain paves the way for a major crime that the occupation is planning to commit in Gaza City," Hamas says in a statement.
Reuters says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would launch a new offensive to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza, where a hunger crisis is escalating after 22 months of war.
