5 Al Jazeera Journalists Killed in Gaza Strike; Israel Claims One Was a Hamas ‘Terrorist’

An Israeli airstrike on a journalists’ tent outside Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital on Sunday killed at least five Al Jazeera journalists and two other people, sparking international condemnation and a fierce dispute over the victims’ identities. The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the attack, asserting it had targeted and killed Anas al-Sharif, a prominent 28-year-old correspondent, whom it labeled a Hamas cell leader “posing as a journalist.”

The Qatar-based broadcaster identified its slain staff as correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Noufal. Al Jazeera vehemently condemned the strike as a “targeted assassination” and a “desperate attempt to silence voices” ahead of a potential Israeli occupation of Gaza.

The Israeli military, however, stated that al-Sharif “was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” citing intelligence and documents found in Gaza as evidence.

The killings have drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which had previously urged for al-Sharif’s protection in July, said Israel has a “pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence.”

A UN Special Rapporteur also previously warned that al-Sharif’s life was in danger and that Israel’s claims against him were unsubstantiated. Minutes before his death, al-Sharif, who had over 500,000 followers on X, was posting about intense Israeli bombardment in Gaza City. In a pre-written message to be published in the event of his death, he wrote, “I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is… hoping that God would witness those who remained silent