Broadcaster condemns attack as “premeditated assault on press freedom” while Israel accuses lead correspondent of Hamas ties.
Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli air strike near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the network confirmed. The incident occurred on Sunday when correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa, were in a designated media tent at the hospital’s main gate.
Al Jazeera called the strike a “targeted assassination” and “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.” The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) later acknowledged targeting al-Sharif, alleging he was the head of a Hamas “terrorist cell” and responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and troops. The IDF did not comment on the deaths of the other four journalists.
In total, seven people were killed in the strike. Al Jazeera initially reported four of its staff members had died but later revised the number to five. Managing editor Mohamed Moawad told the BBC that al-Sharif was a fully accredited journalist and “the only voice” providing real-time updates from Gaza.
“This is about silencing coverage from inside Gaza,” Moawad said, noting that international journalists have been barred from freely entering the territory since the war began. He stressed that the team had not been reporting from the front line when they were hit.
Al-Sharif, 28, had been posting on X moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment. A final post, apparently pre-written, was published after his death by a friend.
Graphic videos verified by the BBC showed the aftermath, with colleagues retrieving the bodies of those killed. The CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) has condemned the incident, with its chief executive, Jodie Ginsberg, saying Israeli authorities have repeatedly failed to present evidence when accusing slain journalists of terrorist affiliations.
This is not the first deadly strike on Al Jazeera staff in Gaza. In August last year, reporter Ismael Al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi were killed in a similar attack, which the IDF also justified with claims of Hamas involvement—claims the network strongly rejected.
According to CPJ data, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023.