Israel
Al Jazeera reporter killed in Gaza strike was ‘head of terror cell’, IDF claims
Five employees of the Qatari-based network were killed when their tent was hit outside Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital
August 11, 2025 10:49
Five employees of the Qatari-based network were killed when their tent was hit outside Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital
August 11, 2025 10:49A prominent Al Jazeera reporter killed in an Israeli airstrike was the “head of a Hamas terrorist cell”, the IDF has claimed.
Videographer Anas Al-Sharif, correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera crew Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, all working for the Qatar-based network, were killed when their tent was hit outside Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital.
Al-Sharif was renowned as a front-line journalist for Al Jazeera Arabic, with his photography team winning a Pulitzer Prize just last year. However, the IDF said it had evidence that he was, in fact, a high-ranking Hamas terrorist.
Through rosters, training lists and salary records recovered from Hamas sites in Gaza, the IDF allegedly found that he was the head of a Hamas cell in charge of guiding rocket attacks towards civilian targets in Israel. The military claimed that al-Sharif had been part of Hamas since 2019.
There is no suggestion that the other journalists killed in the strike were Hamas operatives.
In a statement, the IDF alleged: "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 salary records, prove he was a Hamas operative integrated into Al Jazeera. A press badge isn’t a shield for terrorism."
But the strike has brought condemnation from the network, which called it an “assassination” and labelled accusations of his Hamas membership “false”.
A spokesperson for Al Jazeera said: “This attack comes amid the catastrophic consequences of the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which has seen the relentless slaughter of civilians, forced starvation, and the obliteration of entire communities.
“The order to assassinate Anas Al Sharif, one of Gaza’s bravest journalists, and his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza.”
The statement went on to call on the international community “take decisive measures to halt this ongoing genocide and end the deliberate targeting of journalists”.
“Al Jazeera emphasises that immunity for perpetrators and the lack of accountability embolden Israel’s actions and encourage further oppression against witnesses to the truth,” the network said.
Al Jazeera Managing Editor Mohamed Moawad added: "They were targeted in their tent, they weren't covering from the front line.
"The fact is that the Israeli government is wanting to silence the coverage of any channel of reporting from inside Gaza.
"This is something that I haven't seen before in modern history."
The strike was also condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which accused the IDF of not having the sufficient evidence to back up its claims.
Speaking to the BBC, the group's CEO, Jodie Ginsberg, said: "This is a pattern we've seen from Israel — not just in the current war, but in the decades preceding — in which typically a journalist will be killed by Israeli forces and then Israel will say after the fact that they are a terrorist, but provides very little evidence to back up those claims."
Meanwhile, Al-Sharif himself is reported to have pre-written an X post before his death as he was aware his life was at risk. It was apparently published by an acquaintance after the strike.
The post read: "This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.
"I entrust you with Palestine — the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world.
"I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland."
Al Jazeera has been contacted by the JC.
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