At least seven people, including five Al Jazeera journalists, were killed late Sunday after Israeli air strikes hit the main gate of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital in what the network has described as a targeted attack.
Among the dead was Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera reporter whose career had been marked by fearless coverage of the ongoing war. The others were Mohammed Qreiqeh, a correspondent; Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa, all camera operators.
The strike comes more than a year after Israeli bombs destroyed al-Sharif’s family home in the Jabalia refugee camp, killing his 65-year-old father. In recent months, al-Sharif had repeatedly voiced fears for his life, accusing the Israeli military of specifically targeting him.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed al-Sharif was the intended target, alleging he “was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell.” Before his death, the journalist had prepared a final message dated April 6, to be released if he was killed. In it, he wrote that he had “lived the pain in all its details” and “tasted grief and loss repeatedly,” expressing heartbreak over leaving behind his wife, Bayan, and not being able to watch his children, Salah and Sham, grow up.
Al Jazeera condemned the killings, calling them “a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza.” The network accused Israel of deliberately targeting its staff to suppress coverage of the conflict.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was appalled by the attack, stressing that Israel had yet to provide evidence supporting its claims against al-Sharif.
“Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable,” CPJ stated.
According to CPJ, 186 journalists have been killed since the war began in October 2023, with at least 178 of them being Palestinians.
