The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared that an Al Jazeera journalist, killed in the Gaza Strip, led a Hamas “terrorist cell.”
Anas Al-Sharif, along with four of his colleagues—identified by Al Jazeera as correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa—perished on Sunday. The Qatar-based network described their deaths as a “targeted Israeli attack” on a tent where journalists were housed in Gaza City.
In a statement, the Israeli military asserted, “The IDF targeted the terrorist Anas Al-Sharif, who presented himself as an Al Jazeera journalist.” It further stated, “Anas Al-Sharif functioned as the leader of a terrorist cell and orchestrated rocket assaults targeting Israeli civilians and IDF personnel.”
The IDF also mentioned that it had “previously revealed intelligence and numerous documents discovered in the Gaza Strip” verifying Al-Sharif’s military association with Hamas, an affiliation from which “the Al Jazeera network has sought to distance itself.”
“Intelligence and documents obtained from Gaza, including personnel rosters, terrorist training lists, and salary records, demonstrate his role as a Hamas operative embedded within Al Jazeera,” the IDF announced on X. “A press badge does not provide immunity.”
Both Al Jazeera and Al-Sharif had previously denied allegations of his ties to Hamas, according to reports.
“Al Jazeera Media Network unequivocally condemns the targeted killing of its correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh… by the Israeli occupation forces, deeming it another clear and premeditated assault on press freedom,” Al Jazeera stated.
It added, “Anas and his colleagues were among the few remaining voices inside Gaza, offering the world direct, unvarnished coverage of the severe hardships faced by its inhabitants. While international media was prohibited from entry, Al Jazeera journalists stayed within besieged Gaza, enduring and documenting the hunger and suffering through their reporting.”
The U.N. Human Rights Office indicated its condemnation of the fatalities and urged “immediate, safe, and unobstructed access to Gaza for all journalists.”
The IDF stated that the documents discovered in the Gaza Strip “comprise personnel lists, terrorist training course rosters, phone directories, and salary records for the operative, furnishing irrefutable evidence that [Al-Sharif] functions as a military operative for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”