The pouring of grief and condemnation follows the Israeli assassination of five Al Jazeera staff in Gaza, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif.
Late Sunday, a drone attack struck a journalist’s tent located outside the main gate of Alsifa Hospital in Gaza city, killing seven people. Among the dead were correspondent Al Jazeera correspondent Mohamed Kreike and camera operators Ibrahim Zahel, Moammen Aliwa and Mohamed Nuffal.
Just hours ago, 28-year-old Al-Sharif had posted to X about Israel’s “severe barrages” in eastern and southern Gaza city. Known for his fearless reports from northern Gaza, he has become one of the most recognisable voices to document the ongoing Israeli massacre in the enclave, Al Jazeera reported.
The Al Jazeera Media Network has denounced the murder of journalists “on the strongest conditions” for targeted assassinations by Israeli forces.
In a statement, the network said the Israeli forces “have admitted their crimes” and deliberately directed the attack at the journalist’s location. It called the assassination “another blatant, planned attack on freedom of the press.”
The strike came in what Al Jazeera described as the “devastating consequences” of Israel’s continued attack on Gaza, including mass civilian deaths, forced hunger and the destruction of the entire community.
The network was called the murder of Al Sharif, one of Gaza’s most prominent reporters, and the “desperate attempt to silence the voices of his colleagues to expose him to imminent seizures and occupation of Gaza.”
Stephen Dujaric, a spokesman for the United Nations of Antonio Guterres, expressed his sadness from the Al Jazeera family and called for an investigation.
“We’ve always been very clear in condemning all the murders of journalists,” Dujarric said. “In Gaza, media workers should be free to do their jobs anywhere without fear of harassment, threats or being targeted.”
The Committee for Protecting Journalists (CPJ) said it was “applause” that Israel had killed an Al Jazeera journalist.
“The pattern of labeling extremists to Israeli journalists without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about their intentions and respect for freedom of the press,” said Salakda, CPJ’s regional director.
“The person responsible for these killings must be accountable,” Qudah added.
CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg recalled that Israel accused Al-Sharif and others of “terrorists” in October last year without evidence.
“At the time, I warned that this felt like a precursor to justify the assassination,” she told Al Jazeera. “This is part of the pattern… it goes back decades and kills journalists.”
Amnesty International condemned the strike as a war crime under international law, remembering Al Sharif as a “brave and extraordinary” reporter.
In 2024, Al-Sharif was awarded the Amnesty International Australia Human Rights Defender Award for his resilience and commitment to freedom of the press.
“We at Amnesty International are devastated and heartbroken,” said Mohameddueur, a spokesman for Amnesty International Australia’s occupied territory. “Annas has stood in front of the camera, devoting his life to exposing Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians and documenting the truth so that the world can witness.
“The brave and brave journalists who have reported since the onset of genocide have been operating in the most dangerous situations on the planet. With the greatest risks in their lives, they show the world the war crimes Israel committed against about 2 million Palestinian women, men and children,” he added.
Mike Balsamo, president of the US-based National Press Club, said the murder of the journalist was a “loss that was “a lot more than one newsroom” and prompted a “full and transparent” investigation.
“Journalists must be able to work without being targeted or killed,” Balsamo said. “All actors in conflict zones must respect their obligations under international law to protect reporters and to ensure that they can safely perform their work.”
The Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) has accused Israel of killing five Al-Jazeera journalists, calling on the US and international media workers to “stood in solidarity” with Palestinian colleagues.
“Israel’s ongoing campaign for targeted assassinations of Palestinian journalists is a war crime, simple and simple,” said Nihad Awad, director of Cair National Executive Direction, in a statement.
“The murders of these Al Jazeera journalists are not accidents or collateral damage. It is part of a consistently documented policy of silence the voices of the media and hiding the truth about the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza,” Awad said.