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Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed on Sunday when an Israeli airstrike struck a journalists' tent outside Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the network confirmed.
Among the dead was Anas al-Sharif, a well-known Arabic correspondent who had earned recognition for his reporting from northern Gaza, including Amnesty International's Human Rights Defender Award last year. Also killed were correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. Two others, including a journalist from another outlet, also died in the strike.
In a statement, Al Jazeera described the incident as a "targeted assassination" and "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom." The network called for international action to halt what it termed the ongoing targeting of journalists in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged targeting al-Sharif, alleging he led a Hamas unit involved in rocket attacks. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) rejected the claim, noting Israel had provided no evidence and calling the strike part of a longstanding pattern of killing reporters and later labeling them militants.
Al Jazeera managing editor Mohamed Moawad said the journalists were "not at the front line" but in a designated media area, and accused Israel of seeking to silence coverage from inside Gaza.
Al-Sharif, 28, appeared to have posted on X minutes before his death, warning of heavy bombardment. A pre-written post published later said Gaza's voices were being erased and urged the world not to remain silent.
The CPJ says at least 186 journalists have been killed since Israel began its military offensive in Gaza in October 2023, after a Hamas-led attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages. Gaza's health ministry, run by Hamas, reports more than 61,000 Palestinians have died since the conflict began.
International media have been barred from entering Gaza freely, leaving local journalists to document the war under extreme danger. The BBC and major news agencies have warned of starvation among Gaza-based reporters due to restricted aid deliveries.
This is not the first deadly strike on Al Jazeera staff. Last year, reporter Ismael al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi were killed in similar circumstances, deaths the network insists were deliberate attacks on its journalists.
