By M10News Middle East Desk
A senior Al Jazeera journalist who had publicly warned he was at risk of assassination has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, the network has confirmed.
Anas al-Sharif, 28, died alongside fellow reporter Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa in an attack near al-Shifa Hospital, according to Al Jazeera.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said last month it had “grave” concerns for al-Sharif’s safety, after he reported being the subject of a targeted smear campaign by the Israeli military.
In a statement issued on 24 July, CPJ said al-Sharif believed the allegations were “a precursor to his assassination”, warning that the threats against him were escalating.
The Israeli Defence Forces confirmed his death on Monday but described him as a “terrorist” and claimed he served as “the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organisation”. The military said he was “responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops”.
In an interview with CPJ last month, al-Sharif said he lived “with the feeling that I could be bombed and martyred at any moment”, blaming Israeli authorities for attempting to undermine his reporting.
“All of this is happening because my coverage of the crimes of the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip harms them and damages their image in the world,” he said. “They accuse me of being a terrorist because the occupation wants to assassinate me morally.”
According to CPJ, al-Sharif’s father was killed in December 2023 when the family’s home was struck by an Israeli airstrike. That attack, the group said, came shortly after the journalist had received direct telephone threats from Israeli military officers instructing him to halt his coverage.
The organisation says at least 186 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the current conflict began, as of 5 August.
“We are deeply alarmed by the repeated threats made by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee against Al Jazeera’s Gaza correspondent Anas al-Sharif and call on the international community to protect him,” CPJ regional director Sara Qudah said in July.
“This is not the first time al-Sharif has been targeted by the Israeli military, but the danger to his life is now acute,” she added.
Israel banned the broadcasting of Al Jazeera within its borders in May last year, accusing the Qatar-based network of undermining national security.
Al Jazeera has condemned the killing of its journalists, calling it part of a pattern of systematic targeting of media workers in Gaza.
Editing by M10News Middle East Desk | Contact: mideast@m10news.com
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