The deaths of five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza have ignited global condemnation, as Israel claims one of the victims was a Hamas commander — an allegation rejected by press freedom advocates.
BY PC Bureau
August 10, 2025 — An Israeli airstrike on Sunday hit a press tent outside the main gate of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, killing at least five Al Jazeera journalists and two other people, according to the network and hospital officials.
The dead included correspondents Anas al-Sharif, 28, and Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Noufal. The tent was one of the few remaining hubs for reporters covering the battered city, which has been under relentless bombardment since Israel launched its latest offensive.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged responsibility for the strike, claiming that al-Sharif was “a terrorist” rather than a legitimate journalist. In a statement, the military alleged he was the head of a Hamas cell involved in organising rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and troops. The IDF said it had recovered intelligence documents to support its claim, though no evidence has been independently verified.
Press freedom groups and human rights organisations swiftly rejected the Israeli account. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression Irene Khan, and other advocacy bodies condemned the killing and dismissed Israel’s allegations as unsubstantiated. “Labeling journalists as militants without credible proof undermines press freedom and raises serious questions about intent and accountability,” said CPJ’s regional director, Sara Qudah.
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Hours before his death, al-Sharif had been reporting on sustained Israeli shelling in eastern and southern Gaza City. A final message, apparently written in advance and posted posthumously from his account, read: “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice… I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is. Do not forget Gaza… and do not forget me in your sincere prayers.”
#BREAKING
Israeli aircraft incinerates and kills five journalists in a clearly marked PRESS car outside of Al Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp.Fadi Hassouna
Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Ali
Mohammed Al-Ladah
Faisal Abu Al-Qumsan
Ayman Al-Jadi pic.twitter.com/01bfTBXdFb— Samira Mohyeddin سمیرا (@SMohyeddin) December 26, 2024
Al Jazeera described the strike as a “blatant and premeditated assault on press freedom” and said al-Sharif and his colleagues were among the last journalists documenting Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis. The network called for international intervention to protect reporters and to hold Israel accountable for what it described as a “genocidal campaign” in the enclave.
The deaths add to what media watchdogs say is the deadliest period for journalists in recent history. Since the war began in October 2023, between 186 and 237 media workers have been killed, most of them Palestinians. Among the recent casualties were reporter Hossam Shabat, killed in a targeted strike in March; photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab, one of 41 people killed in a June 30 bombing of a popular café in Rafah; and veteran journalist Yahya Sobeih, killed in May while covering civilian life amid the conflict.
For many in Gaza’s press corps, Sunday’s strike underscored the growing danger of working in what is now considered the most perilous environment for journalists anywhere in the world.
Historical Context:
Al Jazeera has long stood as a critical voice in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict—often drawing harsh repercussions for its coverage. Since launching its bureau in Palestine in the early 2000s, the network has weathered repeated backlash from both Israeli and Palestinian authorities. In 2024, Israel passed legislation banning Al Jazeera, raided its West Bank offices, and shut down its Ramallah bureau, branding it a “security threat”
One of the most high-profile tragedies for the network was the killing of veteran reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022. Despite wearing a press vest and helmet, she was shot dead in Jenin—prompting global outcry and widespread criticism of Israel’s initial attempts to deflect responsibility
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Gaza has become the deadliest environment for journalists in recent memory. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that 2023 and 2024 were record-breaking years for journalist fatalities worldwide, with the vast majority occurring in Gaza. In 2023 alone, 72 of the 99 journalists killed globally were Palestinians covering this conflict
By mid-2025, CPJ confirmed at least 186 media workers had been killed across Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since October 2023—most deaths resulting from airstrikes or drone attacks The NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) echoed these findings, noting that over 84 journalists were killed in just four months during the conflict, with widespread destruction of media facilities across Gaza
The fatalities span a tragic timeline—from Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana’a killed in a 2008 tank-shell attack, to AP’s Simone Camilli and translator Ali Shehda Abu Afash, killed in a 2014 bomb-disposal explosion in Gaza More recent losses include Al Jazeera’s Samer Abu Daqqa, a veteran multimedia journalist killed by a drone strike in December 2023, whose case was referred to the International Criminal Court, and correspondent Hossam Shabat, killed in March 2025—his death igniting renewed alarm over the targeting of journalists in Gaza
Today’s tragedy—the strike on the press tent near al-Shifa Hospital that killed Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues—resonates within this agonising legacy of peril for journalists in Gaza. It underscores the profound dangers they face, and raises urgent questions about press freedom and accountability in a conflict marked by relentless media suppression.
