Five Al Jazeera Journalists Killed in Israeli Strike Near Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital
Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a journalists’ tent near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the broadcaster confirmed. The deceased include correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.
Al Jazeera described the strike as a “targeted assassination” and a deliberate attack on press freedom. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed targeting Anas al-Sharif, accusing him of leading a Hamas terrorist cell, a claim Al Jazeera and press freedom advocates strongly dispute.
The IDF did not comment on the other journalists who died in the attack, which killed seven people in total. Al Jazeera’s managing editor Mohamed Moawad stressed that al-Sharif was an accredited journalist and the sole voice reporting from inside Gaza amid Israel’s restrictions on foreign press access.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the killings and called on Israel to provide evidence supporting its claims. Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ chief executive, noted a troubling pattern of Israel labeling slain journalists as terrorists without presenting evidence.
This strike follows previous incidents where Al Jazeera journalists were killed, with similar IDF claims of terrorist affiliations being rejected by the broadcaster.
Since the start of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza in October 2023, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed, according to CPJ. Journalists remaining in Gaza face severe risks from ongoing bombardments and shortages of food and aid.
The conflict has caused massive loss of life, with more than 61,000 deaths reported by Gaza’s health ministry since the offensive began, following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
