Key points
- “Appalled” to learn of journalists’ deaths: CPJ
- Al-Sharif was killed on Sunday after a tent for journalists outside main gate of hospital was hit
- Israel’s military has claimed responsibility for the assassination in a statement
ISLAMABAD: Israeli forces have killed five Al Jazeera staff, including correspondent Anas al-Sharif, in “a targeted strike on their media tent outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City”, Al Jazeera said.
Israel’s military has claimed responsibility for the assassination in a statement, falsely claiming al-Sharif led a unit of Hamas’s armed wing, according to Al Jazeera.
AFP reported that the attack was the latest to see journalists targeted in the 22-month war in Gaza, with around 200 media workers killed over the course of the conflict.
AFP reported “Al-Sharif, 28, was killed on Sunday after a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital was hit. The well-known Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reportedly extensively from northern Gaza.”
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Al Jazeera said that five of its staff members were killed during the strike on a tent in Gaza City, listing the others as Mohammed Qreiqeh along with camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.
Most recognisable faces
Al-Sharif was one of the channel’s most recognisable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage.
AFP reported that in July, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement calling for his protection as it accused the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee of stepping up online attacks on the reporter by alleging that he was a Hamas member.
Following the attack, the CPJ said it was “appalled” to learn of the journalists’ deaths.
“Israel’s pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” AFP cited CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah as saying.
“Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable.”
The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate condemned what it described as a “bloody crime” of assassination.
International criticism
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in early July that more than 200 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began, including several Al Jazeera journalists.
International criticism is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with UN agencies and rights groups warning that a famine is unfolding in the territory, AFP reported.
The targeted strike comes as Israel announced plans to expand its military operations on the ground in Gaza, according to AFP. A UN official warned the Security Council that Israel’s plans to control Gaza City risked “another calamity” with far-reaching consequences.
