A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, Anas Al Sharif, was killed along with four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, in an attack denounced by media rights groups and the network as a deliberate attempt to silence reporting from Gaza.
Gaza officials and Al Jazeera said the strike hit a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, killing Al Sharif, three other Al Jazeera journalists — Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal — and an assistant. Two other people also died in the attack, according to a hospital official.
A Palestinian man reacts over the body of Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif, who was killed along with four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike, inside an ambulance in Gaza City August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa REFILE – QUALITY REPEAT
Al Jazeera described Al Sharif, 28, as “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and said the attack was “a desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza.” Before his death, Al Sharif had rejected Israel’s earlier allegations linking him to Hamas.
Israel’s military claimed Al Sharif led a Hamas cell responsible for rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and troops, citing intelligence and documents allegedly found in Gaza. Al Jazeera categorically denied the accusation, calling it fabricated.
A Palestinian man speaks to members of the media at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent near Shifa Hospital where Al Jazeera journalists Anas Al Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal were killed, in Gaza City August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Al Sharif had previously been named by Israel in October as one of six Gaza journalists it accused of militant ties, allegations a U.N. Special Rapporteur and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said lacked credible evidence. Last month, U.N. expert Irene Khan warned his life was at risk due to his reporting.
In 2024, Al Sharif was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning Reuters team recognized for Breaking News Photography in coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. His final social media post, minutes before his death, described intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza City for over two hours.
A Palestinian man inspects the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent near Shifa Hospital where Al Jazeera journalists Anas Al Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal were killed, in Gaza City August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said 237 journalists have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023. The CPJ has documented at least 186 journalist deaths in the conflict.
Hamas condemned the killings, calling them a prelude to a wider Israeli offensive in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a new military push is planned to dismantle Hamas strongholds as the enclave faces a deepening hunger crisis after 22 months of war. “Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices in Gaza conveying the tragic reality to the world,” Al Jazeera said.
