In a tragic turn of events on August 10, Israeli forces carried out a deliberate attack targeting journalists, including an Al Jazeera news team, in Gaza. The victims of this appalling act were Anas al-Sharif, a prominent 28-year-old Palestinian journalist in Gaza; correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh; cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal; and freelance journalists Moamen Aliwa and Mohammad al-Khaldi. They lost their lives when an Israeli drone strike struck a media tent positioned outside the main gate of al-Shifa Hospital. This incident occurred shortly after Israel’s security cabinet greenlit a plan to take control of Gaza City and deploy troops to the area. Shockingly, this marks the sixth instance where Al Jazeera journalists have fallen victim to Israeli attacks since the conflict began. Reporters Without Borders estimates that nearly 200 journalists have lost their lives in the ongoing war. These tragic deaths highlight the immense dangers faced by media personnel reporting on the conflict in Gaza and Israel’s apparent efforts to eliminate witnesses to the atrocities transpiring in Palestine.
Al-Sharif was a familiar face on Al Jazeera, providing daily coverage from Gaza throughout the conflict. In a poignant message written in April, he expressed his fear of being silenced and implored the world not to forget Gaza in the event of his death. Following an Israeli military spokesperson’s online targeting of him in July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for his safety. The CPJ condemned Israel for baselessly branding journalists as combatants, a claim also leveled against other media workers. While Palestinians mourned the loss of these journalists, Israel accused Sharif of being a Hamas-affiliated “terrorist” masquerading as a journalist. However, Israel has yet to present any evidence supporting this accusation.
According to Brown University’s Costs of War project, the number of journalists killed in Gaza since the conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, surpasses the combined toll of journalists lost in the US Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan. The deliberate targeting and silencing of local journalists, alongside the ban on international journalists reporting on the atrocities in Gaza, reflect Israel’s strategy to obscure the harsh realities on the ground. Urgent action is imperative to halt Israel’s brutal actions in Gaza and to rally global support for those who risk everything to reveal the truth.