Prominent Journalist Killed by Israeli Attack
journalist for the Arabic media outlet Al Jazeera was killed on Sunday in an attack in Gaza City.
This is what the Israeli military, IDF, writes in a post on X, while the director of al-Shifa hospital tells Al Jazeera.
The person in question is 28-year-old journalist Anas al-Sharif.
Al-Sharif was reportedly in a tent intended for journalists outside the hospital’s main entrance when the tent was hit by an Israeli attack.
At least seven people were killed in the attack, according to the hospital director. According to Al Jazeera, two of those killed were journalists, while three were cameramen. According to the media outlet, nine of its journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, when the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted into full force.
The IDF claims that the journalist was part of the militant Hamas movement.
“Anas al-Sharif was the leader of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for promoting rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the military wrote in the post.
Irene Khan, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, called the Israeli accusations against the journalist unfounded in the same month, writes Reuters news agency.
The NGO Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned in July that al-Sharif’s life was in danger because of his reporting from Gaza.
Israel has accused Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas and being biased in its coverage of the war.
Last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his government had decided to close the media outlet in Israel.
Al Jazeera rejected the accusations of bias and propaganda from Israel.
In January, the Palestinian Authority also decided to temporarily shut down broadcasts from the TV channel.
The self-governing authority justified the decision with what it called “inflammatory” material.
The media outlet is owned and financed by Qatar, which has a role as a mediator in the negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
