Five Al Jazeera journalists including prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif have been killed in a targeted Israeli strike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital. Al-Sharif and another correspondent, Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent for journalists at the hospital’s main gate when it was struck. The “targeted assassination” on Sunday was “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it had targeted al-Sharif, alleging he had “served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas” and claimed to have Hamas documents that showed he had been in one of the group’s units in 2019. However, the CPJ said Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations. Throughout the war, Israel has not allowed international journalists into Gaza to report freely, relying on local reporters within the territory for coverage. Al Jazeera’s managing editor Mohamed Moawad said al-Sharif was an accredited journalist who was “the only voice” for the world to know what was happening in the Gaza Strip. The IDF accused al-Sharif of posing as a journalist and said it had previously “disclosed intelligence” confirming his military affiliation. This is not the first time the IDF has targeted and killed Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza. In August last year, Ismael Al-Ghoul was hit by an air strike as he sat in his car. According to the CPJ, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in October 2023. The situation for journalists in Gaza is dire, with the threat of air strikes and starvation. Many journalists are unable to feed themselves and their families, with some going days without eating. More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups have warned of mass starvation in Gaza. Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. More than 61,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military operation began.
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