On Sunday, August 10, 2025, tragedy struck in Gaza City when an Israeli airstrike killed five Al Jazeera journalists, including one of the network’s most prominent correspondents, Anas al-Sharif. The journalists were working inside a clearly marked media tent positioned outside the main gate of Al-Shifa Hospital when the strike occurred.
According to Al Jazeera, the attack killed al-Sharif alongside colleagues Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted responsibility, claiming that al-Sharif was not an ordinary journalist but a Hamas cell leader who “posed as a reporter” and was allegedly responsible for planning rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. This accusation has been strongly condemned by press freedom groups, who say the IDF has offered no credible evidence to support the claims.
Israeli strike kills Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza
Eyewitnesses at the scene reported that the tent was clearly marked as a press area, raising questions about whether the strike was a deliberate attack on journalists.
Al Jazeera stated that the 28-year-old al-Sharif was a high-profile Arabic-language correspondent who had been providing daily reports from northern Gaza since the war began nearly two years ago.
In one of his final social media posts on X (formerly Twitter), al-Sharif described “intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment” in Gaza City and uploaded a short video showing nearby strikes.
Just a month earlier, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had issued a public statement urging Israel to guarantee al-Sharif’s safety after the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, accused him online of being a Hamas member. CPJ says this kind of labelling endangers journalists’ lives and could be used to justify targeted killings.
Impact as the Israeli strike kills Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza resonates globally
Following the attack, CPJ’s Middle East Director Sara Qudah expressed outrage, saying:
“Israel’s pattern of branding journalists as militants without presenting solid evidence raises serious concerns about its commitment to press freedom. Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted.”
The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate condemned the strike as a “bloody crime of assassination,” while Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted that more than 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began. Many international outlets—including AFP—rely heavily on local Palestinian reporters because Gaza remains sealed off to most foreign press.
Political and Military Context
The killings occurred just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended a new ground offensive in Gaza targeting the last remaining Hamas strongholds. Netanyahu also announced plans to grant limited access to foreign journalists, but only under strict military supervision.
At the same time, a senior United Nations official warned the UN Security Council that Israel’s plan to control Gaza City could lead to “another calamity” with mass displacement, further destruction, and civilian casualties.
The strained relationship between Israel and Al Jazeera is long-standing. Israel has banned the channel’s operations in the country, raided its offices, and repeatedly accused it of serving Hamas propaganda. Qatar, which funds Al Jazeera, also hosts the political leadership of Hamas and has played a role in mediating indirect talks between Israel and the militant group.
Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
The latest incident comes amid an already severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where over two million Palestinians face famine, collapsed infrastructure, and restricted aid access.
Human rights groups and UN agencies have repeatedly called for international investigations into potential war crimes against civilians, including targeted attacks on journalists. The IDF maintains that it targets only “terrorist operatives” but has yet to produce evidence proving al-Sharif’s alleged role in Hamas operations.
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