The following article contains graphic images some readers may find distressing
Last night the Israeli occupation murdered five Al Jazeera journalists and two others in their tent outside Gaza’s largest hospital Al Shifa:
The drone strike was a deliberate, targeted attack, which led to the murder of Al Jazeera Arabic correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqea, camera operators Ibrahim Thaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, and journalist Mohammed Al-Khalidi, and one other person:
Shortly after the strike, Al Jazeera English correspondent Hani Mahmoud reported hearing a massive explosion at the time, which lit up the sky.
Anas Al-Sharif – ‘The Voice of Gaza’
28-year-old Anas Al-Sharif was one of the most prominent journalists in Gaza, relentlessly reporting on the unfolding genocide, especially in the North of Gaza. He was the voice of Gaza- a household name and hugely trusted by everyone.
The occupation launched a long-running smear campaign against him, in 2023, accusing him – with zero evidence – of belonging to the military wing of Hamas, and he experienced death threats. Less than two weeks ago, the Canary reported on IOF spokesperson, Avichay Adraee’s false accusations against Al-Sharif, which led the journalist to accurately predict that this campaign against him was a precursor to his assassination.
Yet, Al-Sharif refused to stop working, reporting to audiences worldwide, from day one of the genocide. Yesterday, just before his murder, he talked about the ongoing campaign of starvation, and posted this on X:
Palestinian journalists are Gaza’s truth-tellers
The occupation has barred foreign journalists from entering the Strip, so Gaza’s reporters are the eyes and ears of the world. Over the last 22 months they have drawn our attention to the Israeli occupation’s many war crimes and are succeeding in changing public opinion about this pariah state, by showing us the truth about the situation on the ground. Without them we would know nothing, and this is exactly the reason why journalists are being targeted: to suppress the occupation’s critics.
Shortly after Anas Al-Sharif’s murder, Avichay Adraee’s X post read:
Anas Al-Sharif was not a journalist, but rather a Hamas member working under the cover of a journalist. He belonged to Hamas in thought and action, as internal Hamas documents unequivocally revealed Anas’s affiliation with Hamas’s military ranks until he suddenly appeared after the October 7 massacre with the title of journalist.
This is part of a pattern by the occupation, justifying the intimidation or killing of someone by claiming they are linked to Hamas, and then fabricating the so called ‘proof’.
Mohammad Shehada, a Palestinian Analyst and writer from Gaza, told Al Jazeera last night, that the targeting of the most active journalists in Gaza, such as Al-Sharif, serves three main purposes for the occupation. Not only would their murder create a full blackout of what is coming ahead- the total annihilation of Gaza City and the completion of the genocide, but it would intimidate, and therefore stop other journalists working, while also serving to destroy valuable evidence. Shehada described Al-Sharif as ‘a gatekeeper to a huge amount of information, which would have been incriminating in front of a tribunal.
All countries complicit in this genocide are responsible for these murders
According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, this massacre brings the total number of journalists murdered by Israel, since the start of this genocide, to 239. The office says ‘it holds the Israeli occupation, the US administration, and all countries complicit in the genocide fully responsible for these systematic crimes against journalists and media workers in the Gaza Strip’ and renewed its call on international organisations to intervene.
Anas Al-Sharif’s will and final message have been published on X, and includes the following words:
If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice… I entrust you with Palestine—the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace. Their pure bodies were crushed under thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart and scattered across the walls… If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles… Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me…
Featured image and additional images supplied
