Israeli forces have killed five Al Jazeera journalists in a targeted strike on a media tent outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, including correspondent Anas al-Sharif and colleague Mohammed Qreiqeh, alongside camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.
Israel’s military has claimed responsibility, accusing al-Sharif of leading a Hamas armed unit — a charge rejected by Al Jazeera and press freedom advocates. Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political commentator, described the incident as “targeted murder” and said the attack was aimed at silencing coverage of Israel’s impending operation to seize Gaza City and forcibly displace nearly one million Palestinians.
“This is about preventing the world from seeing what is about to happen,” Goldberg told Al Jazeera, urging international media to hold Israel accountable and break away from narratives that obscure Israeli responsibility for civilian deaths.
The killings come amid intensified Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip that have claimed at least 52 more Palestinian lives, while starvation caused by Israel’s blockade has killed 217 people, including 100 children. Gaza’s health ministry says the war has now killed at least 61,430 Palestinians and wounded 153,213 since October 2023. The conflict began after Hamas-led attacks in Israel killed 1,139 people and saw more than 200 taken captive.
Global outrage is mounting. The UN Security Council has held an emergency session, and UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reiterated the organisation’s “clear condemnation of all killings of journalists,” stressing the need for media workers to operate freely and without fear.
Meanwhile, protesters have taken to the streets in cities from Buenos Aires to London and Istanbul, demanding an immediate end to Israel’s war on Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian aid to the besieged territory.
