TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Anas al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera journalist, was killed along with four of his colleagues in a targeted Israeli airstrike on a tent housing journalists in Gaza City.
The attack, which occurred outside the main gate of al-Shifa Hospital on a Sunday night, killed seven people. The other journalists killed were Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.
Shortly before his death, al-Sharif, a well-known 28-year-old Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent, had reported extensively from northern Gaza. In his last post on X, he wrote that Israel had launched an intensive and concentrated bombardment, also known as "fire belts", on the eastern and southern areas of Gaza City.
His final video captures the loud boom of the bombardment in the background as the dark sky is illuminated by flashes of orange light.
A final message from al-Sharif, dated April 6 and intended for publication upon his death, was also released. In it, he wrote that 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 wrote.
"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." The reporter also expressed his sorrow at leaving his wife, Bayan, and not seeing his son, Salah, and daughter, Sham, grow up.
In a statement, the Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the killing as "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom." The network added, "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 statement called the killing of al-Sharif and his colleagues "a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza."
Al Jazeera is calling on the international community and all relevant organizations to "take decisive measures to halt this ongoing genocide and end the deliberate targeting of journalists." The network emphasized that "immunity for perpetrators and the lack of accountability embolden Israel’s actions and encourage further oppression against witnesses to the truth."
Hani Mahmoud, an Al Jazeera correspondent who was just a block away when the attack occurred, said that reporting on al-Sharif's death was the most difficult thing he had done in the past 22 months of war. Mahmoud, who works for the network's English-language channel, stated that the reporters were killed "because of their relentless reporting on the starvation and the famine and the malnutrition" suffered by Palestinians in Gaza, "because they’re bringing the truth of this crime to everyone."
Allegations of Hamas Affiliation
In a statement confirming al-Sharif's death, the Israeli military accused the journalist of leading a Hamas cell and "advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and [Israeli] troops." The military also claimed to have documents providing "unequivocal proof" of his involvement with the Palestinian group.
However, Muhammed Shehada, an analyst at Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, told Al Jazeera there was "zero evidence" that al-Sharif was involved in any hostilities. "His entire daily routine was standing in front of a camera from morning to evening," Shehada said.
Last month, after Israeli military spokesman Avichai Adraee accused al-Sharif of being a member of the Hamas militant wing on social media, the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, said she was "deeply concerned by the Israeli military's repeated threats and accusations" against him.
"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 said.
Al Jazeera, which has accused Israeli authorities of fabricating evidence to link its staff to the militant group, recently criticized the Israeli military for waging a "campaign of incitement" against its reporters in the Gaza Strip, including al-Sharif.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had also expressed grave concern for the journalist's safety, stating that he was being "targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign."
Since Israel launched its war on the enclave in October 2023, it has routinely accused Palestinian journalists in Gaza of being members of Hamas. Human rights groups say this is an attempt to discredit their reporting on Israeli violations.
The Israeli military has killed more than 200 journalists and media workers since the bombing began, including several Al Jazeera journalists and their relatives.
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