Worldwide outrage over journalists killed in Gaza, but Israel defends the strike

Qatar-based Al Jazeera announced the death of four of its journalists in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

The Israeli army claimed to have targeted reporter Anas al-Sharif when it struck a tent used by the journalists' group in Gaza City, in front of al-Shifa hospital. According to the army, Anas al-Sharif was a "terrorist" who "posed as a journalist".

He "was the leader of a terrorist cell within the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for preparing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and troops", Israel said on Telegram.

In addition to Anas al-Sharif, Al Jazeera reported the death of correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, as well as cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa. According to the director of al-Shifa hospital, Mohammed Al-Khaldi, a freelance journalist who occasionally worked for local media, also perished in the Israeli attack.These deaths add to the list of nearly 200 journalists who have been killed since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian war on October 7, 2023, according to Reporters Without Borders.

"The order to assassinate Anas al-Sharif, one of Gaza's most courageous journalists, and his colleagues is a desperate attempt to silence voices denouncing the occupation of Gaza", the Qatari channel accused in a statement released on Monday.to silence voices denouncing the occupation of Gaza", accused the Qatari channel in a statement released on Monday.

Anas al-Sharif was one of Al Jazeera's best-known journalists, covering the daily lives of Gazans. The 28-year-old was one of the few local journalists still present in the Gaza enclave, despite the general ban on international reporters.

Aware of being a target for the Israeli army, Anas al-Sharif declared in an interview: "These threats are perpetual, but it's my duty. I show the suffering of the Palestinian people among whom I live, the suffering I live too".

In April, the journalist had planned a final message to be published on his X profile in the event of his death. This Monday, his final thoughts were published: "I have experienced pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times yet I have never once hesitated to share the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification."

The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced the Israeli army's "unproven" accusations regarding Anas al-Shari's terrorist action. According to the organization, Israel is reproducing "a procedure that has already been tried and tested, notably against Al-Jazeera journalists". She cites the example of reporters Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi, killed in a targeted Israeli strike in July 2024.

Like Al Jazeera, RSF called for "strong action by the international community to stop the Israeli army".

In an interview with CBC News, Hani Mahmoud, a colleague of the slain journalists, recalls the events: "The attack was massive. I saw the sky light up over al-Shifa, I saw the smoke, and I knew it was the only place the Israeli army had targeted, especially after a week of intensified fighting and incitement campaigns against Al Jazeera and its teams in the field".

"They carried out a very sinister campaign of denigration and incitement, calling him a terrorist or affiliated to Hamas and its military wing, without however providing the slightest tangible proof. For each journalist killed, the Israeli army issued exactly the same statement claiming that they were members of Hamas, without however providing the slightest concrete proof", he continued. Anas al-Sharif "was also much loved, because he talked about people, telling their stories, their suffering and the difficulties they faced every day for 22 months. It was no surprise to see a large crowd at his funeral, in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital, made up mainly of people who knew him, supported him and had helped him through his ordeal," says Mr. Mahmoud."I don't feel safe. And the same goes for the two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Gaza is unprotected against this brutal war machine. There is no guarantee that this interview will end without incident [...] We are now living minute by minute", concluded the journalist.