The United Nations, European Union, and media rights organizations have condemned Israel following a deadly strike on an Al Jazeera news team in Gaza that killed six journalists, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif.
The strike on Sunday targeted a tent set up for journalists outside the main gate of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Among the dead were Al Jazeera employees Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa, as well as freelance reporter Mohammed Al-Khaldi.
Mourners, many wearing press vests, carried the journalists’ shrouded bodies through Gaza’s bombed-out streets to their graves. Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya confirmed the journalists died instantly in the blast.
Israel acknowledged it targeted Sharif, accusing him of being a Hamas operative who “posed as a journalist” and was “responsible for advancing rocket attacks.” The Israeli military released documents it claims prove Sharif’s enlistment in Hamas in 2013. However, colleagues said his early work with a Hamas communications office was limited to publicizing events.
Al Jazeera rejected Israel’s accusations, calling the strike “a desperate attempt to silence voices exposing the occupation.” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders denounced the attack, with CPJ warning of a “pattern” in which Israel labels journalists militants without credible evidence.
The UN human rights office called the killing “a grave breach of international humanitarian law,” while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the deaths. Nearly 200 journalists have been killed since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
The strike came days after Israel’s security cabinet approved a push into remaining areas of Gaza, including parts of Gaza City and the Al-Mawasi “safe zone.” The plan has drawn criticism from humanitarian agencies and even Israeli allies. Germany has suspended weapons shipments that could be used in Gaza, and Australia announced it will recognize a Palestinian state.
The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people in Israel, has left at least 61,499 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s health ministry. UN agencies warn that famine is unfolding due to severe restrictions on aid.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive, saying Israel will “win the war, with or without the support of others.”
