Israel’s military says it has killed an Al Jazeera journalist it claims was a Hamas cell leader during an airstrike in Gaza. Rights groups and media advocates dispute the allegation, saying there is no credible evidence.
Anas Al Sharif, 28, died alongside three other Al Jazeera journalists and an assistant in a strike on a tent near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Hospital officials reported two additional casualties.
The Israeli army said Al Sharif led a Hamas cell and helped coordinate rocket attacks on civilians and soldiers. It cited intelligence and recovered documents as proof. Al Jazeera and press freedom groups have rejected these claims, calling the attack an attempt to silence reporting on the Gaza war.
The other journalists killed were named as Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal. Al Sharif had been publicly identified by the Israeli military last year as one of six Gaza journalists alleged to have ties to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Israel has not provided verifiable proof to support its accusations. UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan also said previous claims against Al Sharif were unsubstantiated.
Al Sharif’s final social media post described heavy bombardment of Gaza City. In a message prepared for his death, he wrote that he had “never hesitated to convey the truth… without distortion or misrepresentation.”
Hamas condemned the killing, warning it could be a prelude to a larger offensive in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to dismantle Hamas strongholds amid an escalating hunger crisis in the territory.
Al Jazeera described Al Sharif as “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and said the strike was part of a “desperate attempt to silence voices.” The Gaza government media office says 237 journalists have been killed since the war began in October 2023. CPJ puts the toll at at least 186.
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