An Israeli airstrike outside Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital has killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and four other journalists, reigniting a debate over whether he was a reporter or a Hamas leader. The journalists had been resting in a press tent near the hospital’s main gate when the strike occurred.
Shortly after the attack, the Israeli military said al-Sharif was “a terrorist” and claimed he led a Hamas cell involved in rocket attacks. They said intelligence and documents from Gaza supported this, but gave no detailed proof. “A press badge isn’t a shield for terrorism,” the army posted on X.
Al Jazeera strongly rejected the allegation, calling the killing “a desperate attempt to silence voices ahead of the occupation of Gaza” and “another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.”
The Sunday Night Strike
According to Al Jazeera, the journalists were not covering the frontline but were resting when the missile hit. The other victims included Mohammed Qreiqeh, cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.
Hani Mahmoud, an Al Jazeera reporter nearby, described hearing “a massive explosion” and seeing the sky light up. “Within moments, the news circulated that it was the journalist camp at the main gate of the al-Shifa hospital,” he said. Mahmoud added that the reporters were killed because they had been documenting the starvation and suffering in Gaza.
Who Was Anas al-Sharif?
At 28, al-Sharif was one of Al Jazeera Arabic’s most recognisable journalists in Gaza, especially in the north. A graduate of Al-Aqsa University’s media faculty, he had won the 2018 Best Young Journalist Award in Palestine.
He had faced personal tragedy during the conflict: in December 2023, an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp killed his father. Despite the loss, he vowed, “I will continue to cover from Jabalia refugee camp and from northern Gaza.”
In January, during a brief ceasefire, he made headlines by removing his body armour live on air as crowds celebrated the pause in fighting. Minutes before his death, he posted: “Breaking: Intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment using ‘fire belts’ is hitting the eastern and southern areas of Gaza City.”
A final message written days earlier and published after his death read: “I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification… Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent… and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women.” He leaves behind a wife and two children.
Claims and Counterclaims
Before the strike, Israeli spokesperson Avichai Adraee had shared a video accusing al-Sharif of being in Hamas’ military wing. Al-Sharif denied this publicly: “I, Anas Al-Sharif, am a journalist with no political affiliations. My only mission is to report the truth from the ground — as it is, without bias.”
Rights groups and analysts have challenged Israel’s claims. Muhammed Shehada of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said there was “zero evidence” al-Sharif was involved in hostilities, adding that he spent his days “standing in front of a camera from morning to evening.”
Gaza: One of the Deadliest Places for Journalists
Al-Sharif’s death adds to the alarming toll on media workers in Gaza. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports at least 186 journalists have been killed since October 2023. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) puts the number at over 200, including multiple Al Jazeera staff.
The network has lost several correspondents during the conflict. In July, Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi were killed in an airstrike. In October 2023, chief correspondent Wael al-Dahdouh lost his wife, son, daughter, and grandson, and was later injured in another attack that killed cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa.
