Four Al Jazeera journalists, including Anas Al-Sharif, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City. Israel alleged Al-Sharif led a Hamas cell, a claim Al Jazeera denied, calling the strike a direct attack on press freedom. UN officials and journalist groups had previously warned of threats to Al-Sharif’s safety.
Four Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Sunday, with the Israeli military alleging one of them, Anas Al-Sharif, headed a Hamas cell. The Qatari network condemned the attack, denying the claims and calling it a direct assault on press freedom. Palestinian journalists’ groups and UN officials have also criticised the strike, citing earlier warnings over Al-Sharif’s safety.
Israeli Military Links Reporter To Hamas Cell
🎯STRUCK: Hamas terrorist Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as an Al Jazeera journalist
Al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops.
Intelligence and documents from Gaza, including rosters, terrorist training lists and… pic.twitter.com/ypFaEYDHse— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 10, 2025
Al Jazeera rejected the allegations outright, calling them unfounded and aimed at justifying the killing of a journalist who had reported from Gaza throughout the conflict. The network confirmed the deaths of Mohammad Qraiqea, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal in the same strike. An official at Shifa Hospital said seven people were killed in total, including the four journalists.
UN And Press Freedom Groups Had Raised Alarm
Palestinian journalists’ associations called the killings an extension of what they describe as a pattern of deliberate targeting of reporters in Gaza. They say such incidents severely curtail the ability of the media to document conditions inside the enclave and erode the principle of press neutrality in conflict zones.
