Israel’s military said Sunday it had killed a Hamas cell leader who was working as an Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza, a claim quickly challenged by press freedom advocates and the Qatar-based network.
Anas Al Sharif, 28, died in an airstrike that hit a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, according to Gaza officials and Al Jazeera. Four other Al Jazeera journalists — Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal — as well as an assistant, were also killed. Two additional people died in the same strike, a hospital official said.
The Israeli military alleged Al Sharif had been “responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” citing intelligence and documents recovered in Gaza. The army provided no public evidence to back the assertion.
Journalists’ organizations and Al Jazeera rejected the accusations. The network called Al Sharif “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and accused Israel of trying to silence voices ahead of what it called “the occupation of Gaza.”
In recent weeks, a UN special rapporteur and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had warned that Al Sharif was at risk. UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan said last month that Israel’s claims against him were unsubstantiated.
Sara Qudah, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa director, said Sunday that Israel “has failed to provide any evidence” and that “its pattern of labeling journalists as militants without credible proof raises serious questions about its respect for press freedom.”
Al Sharif, who had more than 500,000 followers on X, posted just minutes before his death that Gaza City was under heavy bombardment. In a message he had arranged to be posted if killed, he wrote that he had “never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation.”
Hamas, which governs Gaza, accused Israel of targeting journalists to prepare for a larger military push. “The assassination of journalists and the intimidation of those who remain paves the way for a major crime,” it said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel plans a new offensive to dismantle Hamas strongholds, with hunger spreading in Gaza after 22 months of war.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, 237 journalists have been killed since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. CPJ’s tally puts the number at 186.
