Israeli Airstrike Killed Five Al Jazeera Journalists

Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed on Sunday in what the network described as a deliberate Israeli airstrike on Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed one of the victims, Anas al-Sharif, was a Hamas leader operating under the guise of a journalist.

According to Al Jazeera, al-Sharif, fellow journalist Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa died when a tent used by media personnel in Gaza City was struck. They had been stationed across from the Al-Shifa Hospital complex at the time.

The IDF alleged that al-Sharif led a Hamas terrorist cell and was involved in orchestrating rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and military forces. The military said it had previously released intelligence and seized documents from Gaza proving his affiliation with Hamas.

Al Jazeera dismissed the accusations, calling them “baseless” and “fabricated,” noting that both the network and al-Sharif had denied any terrorist links. Similar claims had been made by the IDF in October 2024, when it named al-Sharif among six journalists it accused of being militants.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) criticized Israel’s repeated pattern of labeling journalists as terrorists without offering credible proof. CPJ regional director Sara Qudah emphasized that journalists are civilians who must never be targeted and urged accountability for the killings.

In July, after being accused by the IDF of ties to Hamas’ military wing, al-Sharif told the CPJ that the allegations were retaliation for reporting that cast Israel in a negative light. He claimed Israel aimed to “assassinate” him both morally and physically.

Al Jazeera, funded by Qatar’s government, says 10 of its staff have been killed since the war in Gaza began in 2023. Israel has accused the channel of biased reporting and, in May 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government voted to shut down its local offices, branding it an “incitement channel.” The network has consistently denied these allegations.

Israel launched its Gaza offensive after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks in which 251 people were taken hostage and many civilians were killed, including at a music festival. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports over 61,000 deaths in Gaza since the offensive began.

Last week, Israel announced plans to take control of Gaza City, a move that sparked criticism and prompted Germany to suspend military exports to Israel that could be used in the conflict.