Al Jazeera confirms journalist Anas al-Sharif killed in Israeli strike
Al Jazeera confirmed that the outlet's Arabic correspondent, Anas al-Sharif, has been killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza City.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also confirmed his death in a statement to Newsweek, saying "the IDF struck the terrorist Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as a journalist for the Al Jazeera network."
Why It Matters
Reporting from Gaza has grown increasingly dangerous, with Reporters Without Borders saying the Israeli army has killed more than 200 journalists since the war began on October 7, 2023.
Last year marked a record number of journalists killed worldwide, with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) identifying that nearly 70 percent of those killed were from Israeli fire. Many journalists have left Gaza because of safety and health concerns.
With access to the territory severely limited as well as food and supplies, reporters work in difficult conditions to provide insight and tell the stories of those often unseen. Al-Sharif, who was often pictured in a press vest, was a well-known Al Jazeera correspondent covering northern Gaza, where much of the fighting has taken place over the past 22 months.
What To Know
Late Sunday night, Israel struck "a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital," Al Jazeera said, killing 28-year-old al-Sharif and four other staff members. The outlet confirmed "correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa," were also killed in the Israeli strikes. Al Jazeera reported seven people were killed in the attack.
The journalists were in a tent outside the al-Shifa hospital, the main medical center in Gaza, which has has been largely destroyed over the past 22 months of fighting.
The IDF confirmed that al-Sharif was killed by Israel, but noted that Israel does not consider him a journalist, telling Newsweek in a statement: "Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops." Hamas is a terrorist organization that launched the initial October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The IDF has repeatedly made these allegations against al-Sharif. Al Jazeera and UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, along with other media groups such as CPJ, have repeatedly denounced the claims, reiterating that al-Sharif is a journalist and not a member of Hamas.
Al Jazeera wrote in a Sunday statement: "The Al Jazeera Media Network had recently denounced the Israeli military for what it called a 'campaign of incitement' against its reporters in the Gaza Strip, including most notably al-Sharif."
The statement continued, "In July, Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adraee reshared a video on social media accusing al-Sharif of being a member of Hamas's military wing – a claim that has been forcefully rejected as false."
The outlet's statement concluded, "Israel has routinely accused Palestinian journalists in Gaza of being members of Hamas since it launched its war on the enclave in October 2023 as part of what rights groups say is an effort to discredit their reporting on Israeli abuses," adding, "The Israeli military has killed more than 200 reporters and media workers since its bombardment began, including several Al Jazeera journalists and their relatives."
The IDF, in their Sunday statement, stated they "had previously disclosed intelligence information and many documents found in the Gaza Strip, confirming his military affiliation to Hamas. The documents once again confirm his involvement in terrorist activities, from which the Al Jazeera network has attempted to disassociate itself."
The statement continued: "The documents include personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, phone directories, and salary documents for the terrorist, and provide unequivocal proof that he serves as a military terrorist in Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The documents also provide proof of the integration of the Hamas terrorist within the Qatari Al Jazeera network."
The IDF stated, "prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence. The IDF will continue to operate against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip."
Minutes before his death, al-Sharif posted a video showing Israel bombing Gaza City. In a final statement shared soon after, he wrote in Arabic, "I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification."
Al-Sharif leaves behind his two children, a daughter and a son.
What People Are Saying
Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud told Al Jazeera following al-Sharif's death: "This is perhaps the hardest thing I'm reporting about the past 22 months. I'm not far from al-Shifa hospital, just one block away, and I could hear the massive explosion that took place in the past half an hour or so, near al-Shifa hospital...It's important to highlight that this attack is just a week after an Israeli military official directly accused Anas and directly ran a campaign of incitement on Al Jazeera and correspondents on the ground because of their work, because of their relentless reporting on the starvation and the famine and the malnutrition, because they are bringing the truth to the screen for everyone."
The IDF said in a statement on X following al-Sharif's death: "A press badge isn't a shield for terrorism."
Journalist Barry Malone, former Al Jazeera editor and executive producer, said in an X post on August 10: "The Israelis have murdered Al Jazeera's Anas al-Sharif. The f****** b*******. I'm sorry but I'm enraged. They'd been threatening this for a while. Anas was so courageous and brought a special emotion and depth to his reports. He was our eyes. And that's why they killed him."
Anas al-Sharif said in a final statement posted by page administrators on his X account: "I urge you not to let chains silence you or borders hold you back. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our plundered homeland...Do not forget Gaza..."
CPJ Middle East and North Africa program wrote in a August 10 X post: "The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled to learn of the killing of @AlJazeera journalist@AnasAlSharif0, alongside Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, by Israeli forces in #Gaza. The journalists were killed in an attack on a tent used by journalists in Gaza City. More than 186 journalists have been killed since the start of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7, at least 180 of those journalists are Palestinians killed by Israel."
Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression said in a July 31 statement: "I am deeply alarmed by repeated threats and accusations of the Israeli army against Anas Al-Sharif, the last surviving journalist of Al Jazeera in northern Gaza."
What Happens Next
Al-Sharif's death came two days after Israel's cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, a move widely condemned by international leaders.