Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed on Sunday in what the network described as a “targeted assassination” by Israeli forces near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa, were inside a designated journalists’ tent at the hospital’s main gate when it was struck. Al Jazeera initially reported four staff fatalities, later revising the figure to five. In total, seven people were killed in the attack.
Shortly after the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had targeted al-Sharif, claiming he was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and had been involved in coordinating rocket attacks against Israel. The IDF did not comment on the deaths of the other journalists. It alleged al-Sharif posed as a journalist, citing undisclosed intelligence and records of his alleged participation in “terrorist training courses.”
Al Jazeera strongly rejected the allegations, describing al-Sharif, 28, as an accredited journalist who provided critical coverage from Gaza one of the few remaining voices inside the besieged territory due to Israel’s ban on foreign press entry. The network’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, told the BBC that the journalists were not on the front lines and accused Israel of trying to “silence coverage” from Gaza.
In the moments before his death, al-Sharif had posted on social media about heavy bombardment in Gaza City. A final post published after his death appeared to have been pre-written and released by a colleague.
Press freedom advocates condemned the attack. Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said Israeli authorities have repeatedly failed to provide evidence to support claims that slain journalists were militants. The CPJ has documented 186 journalist deaths since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023.
This is not the first time Al Jazeera staff have been targeted. In August 2024, reporter Ismael Al-Ghoul was killed in an airstrike while in his car, alongside cameraman Rami al-Rifi and a bystander.
The latest killings deepen concerns over the safety of journalists in conflict zones and the erosion of press freedom amid the Gaza war.
