Five Al Jazeera journalists, including correspondent Anas al-Sharif, were killed in an airstrike near Al Shifa Hospital on Sunday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed responsibility for the strike, stating that al-Sharif, 28, led a Hamas cell involved in rocket attacks. The IDF cited undisclosed intelligence and documents as evidence, along with undated photos showing him with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
كما قلنا منذ البداية ورفض البعض تصديقه: لا يجلس مجالس الارهابيين إلا الإرهابي. #أنس_الشريف لم يكن صحفيًا بل إرهابيًا حمساويًا pic.twitter.com/KG6DPrlyoW
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) August 11, 2025
Al-Sharif and Al Jazeera, which is funded by the Qatari government, have earlier denied Israel’s claims.
The killing comes weeks after al-Sharif appealed to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressing fears that he might be assassinated.
Those killed also include Al Jazeera reporters Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and an assistant. Medics at Al Shifa Hospital confirmed on Monday that a sixth journalist, local freelance reporter Mohammad Al-Khaldi, was also killed in the strike.
Two others died in the same attack, medics said.
Al Jazeera called the attack a “targeted assassination,” saying the journalists were among the few remaining voices reporting from Gaza, where foreign media are barred without military escort.
“Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people,” the network said in a statement.
Al Jazeera said has lost several reporters since the war began in 2023, including 27-year-old correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi, who were killed last summer, as well as freelancer Hossam Shabat, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in March.
Different agencies report varying figures on journalist deaths. The United Nations has reported that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023, making this the deadliest conflict for the press in modern history.
On Sunday, the CPJ stated that 186 journalists have died so far in the war, calling it the deadliest period for journalists since the organization began tracking such data in 1992.
