Funerals held for five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli airstrike near Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital. Image credit: BBC
Two Al Jazeera correspondents and journalists, including renowned reporter Anas al-Sharif, as well as two cameramen and an assistant, were killed in a tent after a targeted Israeli airstrike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital on 10 August.
Journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh had extensively covered the violence endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza at the hands of Israeli military attacks.
Two hours before his killing, Al-Sharif posted on his X account to his 500,000 followers that Israel had been bombing Gaza City for two hours straight. This post would be his final report.
He often used his X account to share uncensored footage and interviews showing the starvation and bombardment in real time. Al-Sharif covered stories extensively from northern Gaza and was dubbed “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” by Al Jazeera. He was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for his coverage of the Israel-Hamas war in 2024.
Anas al-Sharif was 28 and leaves behind his wife, Umm Salah, and his son, Salah. In a final post drafted on 6 April — published by his loved ones in the event of his death — he thanked his wife for her faithfulness and expressed his wish that he could have supported, accompanied, and guided his son through life.
Tributes to the prominent journalist have flooded social media. Many also remembered and honoured Mohammed Qreiqeh, the second correspondent killed in the attack. Prominent YouTuber Muatsim, with over 800,000 followers, paid tribute to his friend, writing in Arabic on X: “One of the purest people. His morals were so high that you’d feel he was an extension of the prophets’ ethics.” He added, “His mother was executed in Al-Shifa Hospital… and now Mohammed follows her. Farewell my friend.”.
The other victims in the tent were cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, and assistant Moamen Aliwa. These 5 deaths add to the 238 journalists killed in Gaza – over a 150 being Palestinian.
The Israeli military has reportedly admitted targeting Al-Sharif, claiming they believed he headed a Hamas cell attack. A claim that has been rejected by Al Jazeera instead they call this “desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza”.
Strong condemnation has been expressed by journalist groups, human rights organisations, and members of the public internationally. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Regional Director Sara Qudah said: “Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable”
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