Israel’s military said on Sunday it killed an Al Jazeera journalist it accused of leading a Hamas cell, a claim rejected by the network and press freedom groups.
Anas Al Sharif, 28, was killed in an airstrike near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, Gaza officials said. Four other Al Jazeera journalists and an assistant also died in the attack. A hospital official said two additional people were killed.
The Israeli military said Al Sharif was “responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” citing intelligence and documents allegedly found in Gaza.
Al Jazeera called the strike “a desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza” and denied any links between its journalists and militant groups.
The network identified the other journalists killed as Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel had not provided evidence to support its allegations against Al Sharif. UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan had earlier described the claims as unsubstantiated.
Al Sharif had been named by Israel in October as one of six Gaza journalists it alleged were members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al Jazeera rejected the accusations, calling the evidence fabricated.
Minutes before his death, Al Sharif posted on X that Gaza City had been under heavy bombardment for more than two hours. He had over 500,000 followers on the platform.
Hamas said the killing could signal the start of an Israeli offensive, warning that targeting journalists “paves the way for a major crime” in Gaza City.
The Gaza government media office said 237 journalists have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023. CPJ has confirmed at least 186 journalist deaths in the conflict.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will continue operations to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza, where humanitarian conditions have sharply worsened during 22 months of war.
Prime Minister Albanese reaffirmed Australia’s backing for Palestinian statehood during his recent statement on foreign policy.
