Gaza, August 11: An Israeli strike on a tent housing Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza City killed six people, including a prominent correspondent and three cameramen, the broadcaster and Palestinian officials said on Monday, in one of the deadliest attacks on media workers in the 22-month war.
Al Jazeera said correspondent Anas al-Sharif, 28, and colleagues Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were killed on Sunday outside Gaza City’s main hospital. A Palestinian freelance journalist also died in the strike, according to the civil defence agency and a hospital director.
The Israeli military confirmed it had carried out the attack, saying it targeted al-Sharif, who it alleged was a Hamas “terrorist” posing as a journalist and responsible for organising rocket attacks. “Anas al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organisation,” the military said on Telegram.
Al Jazeera condemned the strike as a deliberate killing of its journalists. The Qatar-based network said al-Sharif was among its most recognisable faces in Gaza, known for his regular coverage from the north of the territory. He posted on X shortly before his death about “intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment” on Gaza City.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was “appalled” by the deaths and accused Israel of a pattern of labelling journalists as militants without evidence. “Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted,” said CPJ’s regional director, Sara Qudah. The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate called the incident a “bloody crime” of assassination.
More than 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to Reporters Without Borders. Israel has long had a fraught relationship with Al Jazeera, banning its broadcasts domestically and raiding its offices. Qatar, which funds the network, hosts the political leadership of Hamas and has mediated indirect talks between the two sides.
The strike came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to expand ground operations to target remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza and to allow more foreign journalists to report from the territory under military escort.
At the United Nations, Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca warned the Security Council that Israel’s plans to seize control of Gaza City could trigger “another calamity” with far-reaching regional consequences.
