“This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings,” wrote Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif on April 6, four months before he was martyred.
Seven people, including five journalists, were killed in a targeted airstrike on a tent near al-Shifa Hospital in besieged eastern Gaza City on August 10. Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif alongside Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa were among the slain journalists.
In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network condemned Israel’s assassination as another “desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza.”
“As Al Jazeera bids farewell to yet another group of its finest journalists, who boldly and courageously documented the plight of Gaza and its people since the onset of the war,” said the network, adding their call to hold the Israeli occupation forces and government responsible for deliberately targeting and assassinating its journalists.
Al-Sharif was deemed one of Gaza’s bravest journalists who has been a key source of news from Gaza for international audiences since the war began in October 2023. As a matter of fact, minutes before his death, al-Sharif wrote on his X account with more than half a million followers about Israel’s intense and concentrated bombings on eastern and southern parts of Gaza City for more than two hours.
But for the Israeli military, they alleged al-Sharif as the head of a Hamas cell and “was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and Israel Defense Forces (Israeli Military)”, allegations that many press freedom groups and even UN expert Irene Khan said were found to be unsubstantiated. The Israeli military even released a statement admitting to deliberately killing al-Sharif following documents providing “unequivocal proof” of the journalist’s involvement with the Palestinian group.
Since October last year, al-Sharif was named along with six Gaza journalists alleged as members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al Jazeera Media Network also released a statement condemning these allegations.
“Al Jazeera categorically rejects the Israeli occupation forces’ portrayal of our journalists as terrorists and denounces their use of fabricated evidence. The Network asserts that its journalists are merely fulfilling their professional duties, documenting and reporting on the devastating impact of the war on the Strip’s two million civilians,” said the network.
On July 24, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was gravely worried about al-Sharif’s safety amid the Israeli military smear campaign in which the journalist believes is a precursor to his assassination.
Even before the start of the Israel-Gaza war, CPJ had documented Israel’s pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without producing credible evidence to substantiate their claims,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna.
In 2023, CPJ’s “Deadly Pattern” report further detailed examples of five unsubstantiated claims of terrorism or militant activity against journalists killed by Israeli forces between 2004 and 2018.
“Smear campaigns endanger journalists and erode public trust in the media. Israel must end this practice and allow independent international investigations into the journalists’ killings,” CPJ added.
The Altermidya Network also released a statement, emphasizing the disturbing parallels between this repression and the situation of independent media in the Philippines.
“In the Philippines, state forces and their mouthpieces systematically red-tag and malign independent media for reporting on human rights abuses, corruption, and the lived realities of marginalized communities. Harassment, threats, arrests, and even killings often follow these vilification campaigns,” said Altermidya.
“While the scale of violence in Gaza is far greater, the underlying tactic is the same: silence truth-tellers, criminalize journalism, and control the narrative to shield perpetrators and those in power from accountability,” it added.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 60,000 people, including 200 journalists, have been killed at the height of Israel’s aggression and bombardment in the Palestinian territories.
