A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, Anas Al Sharif, and five colleagues were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, in an attack condemned by human rights and journalist groups.
Al Sharif, 28, was part of a Reuters team that won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
He was among four Al Jazeera journalists and an assistant killed in the strike near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, according to Gaza officials and the network. The other journalists were Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal. A hospital official said two other people were also killed.
A sixth journalist, Mohammad Al-Khaldi, a local freelance reporter, was also killed in the airstrike, according medics at Al Shifa Hospital said on Monday.
Al Jazeera described the strike as a “desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza,” and called Al Sharif “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists."
According to the Israeli military official statement posted on Telegram, Al Sharif “posed as a journalist” for Al Jazeera and served as the head of a Hamas terrorist cell. The IDF alleged he was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and Israeli troops, citing intelligence and documents recovered in Gaza, including personnel rosters, lists of training courses, phone directories and salary records, as proof of his role in Hamas and his integration into Al Jazeera.
The media organisation rejected the claims, and before his death Al Sharif had denied earlier Israeli allegations linking him to Hamas.
The statement added that the IDF used precision munitions, aerial surveillance and other measures to avoid civilian casualties.
A press freedom group and United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan had previously warned that Al Sharif’s life was at risk due to his reporting, saying Israel’s claims lacked substantiation.
Sara Qudah, Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ said “Israel’s pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom.”
Minutes before his death, Al Sharif posted on X that Gaza City had been under intense bombardment for more than two hours.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said 237 journalists have been killed since the war began on 7 October, 2023.
The Committee to Protect Journalists puts the death toll at at least 186.
Friends, colleagues and relatives embraced and consoled one another on Monday as they gathered at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery in the heart of the Gaza Strip to mourn the journalists.
The United States and Iran have traded fresh strikes, with the U.S. hitting military sites and Iran launching missiles and drones at bases and ship...
A London court has handed down lengthy sentences to activists from campaign group Palestine Action, who raided an Israeli-owned arms company in the U...
Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Jabbe-Bio, has lost her London social housing flat after a UK council seized it. ...
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 tril...
Iran said no final decision has been made on a proposed agreement with Washington, despite suggestions from U.S. President Donald Trump that a deal co...
The United States and Iran have traded fresh strikes, with the U.S. hitting military sites and Iran launching missiles and drones at bases and ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping remains active, but tensions are rising as calls grow for restraint and renewed talks.
A London court has handed down lengthy sentences to activists from campaign group Palestine Action, who raided an Israeli-owned arms company in the UK.
Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Jabbe-Bio, has lost her London social housing flat after a UK council seized it.
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 trillion. Investors flocked to the world’s largest IPO, betting on Elon Musk’s sprawling empire spanning rockets, AI and beyond.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
SpaceX has made history with the largest initial public offering ever in the United States, pricing its shares at $135 each and achieving a market valuation of $1.77 trillion.
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 trillion. Investors flocked to the world’s largest IPO, betting on Elon Musk’s sprawling empire spanning rockets, AI and beyond.
While France hosts next week’s Group of Seven summit, businesses in neighbouring Switzerland have already begun taking precautions, with many shops in Geneva boarded up ahead of a large anti-G7 demonstration expected on Sunday.
Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium has been reinstated after Alpine successfully challenged his post-race penalties through a Right of Review request with the FIA.
A London court has handed down lengthy sentences to activists from campaign group Palestine Action, who raided an Israeli-owned arms company in the UK.
Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Jabbe-Bio, has lost her London social housing flat after a UK council seized it.
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 trillion. Investors flocked to the world’s largest IPO, betting on Elon Musk’s sprawling empire spanning rockets, AI and beyond.
Ukraine will increase military wages and expand recruitment of foreign volunteers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday, as the armed forces face a critical personnel shortage after more than four years of war with Russia.
Poland will receive a new $4 billion loan from the United States through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme, strengthening defence ties between the two NATO allies as Warsaw continues a major military modernisation drive.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment