Five journalists of Qatari state broadcaster Al Jazeera were killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza on Sunday, said the news channel.
Correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camerapersons Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent built for journalists near Gaza city’s Al-Shifa Hospital when it was struck by Israeli forces, according to Al Jazeera.
The Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the killing of its journalists, describing it as a “targeted assassination” and “another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”.
“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,” said the broadcaster.
Al Jazeera alleged that the killing of its employees followed “repeated incitement” and calls by several Israeli officials and spokespersons to target Al-Sharif and his colleagues.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed on Monday that Al-Sharif was a “terrorist” belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas and had “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,” alleged Tel Aviv. “Intelligence and documents from Gaza, including rosters, terrorist training lists and salary records, prove he was a Hamas operative integrated into Al Jazeera.”
The Israeli military did not comment on the other journalists who were killed.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said that Israel has a “longstanding, documented pattern” of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing credible evidence.
Sara Qudah, the global media watchdog’s regional director, said that journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. “Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable,” Qudah said.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, 186 journalists have been killed. Of them, 178 were Palestinians killed by Israel, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza began in October 2023 after the Palestinian militant group Hamas killed 1,200 persons during its incursion into southern Israel and took hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, leaving more than 61,000 persons dead.
Tel Aviv has also enforced a blockade on humanitarian aid, which the United Nations say has brought the population to the verge of famine.
Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks since July 6. Earlier efforts to reinstate a brief ceasefire that took effect in January had stalled due to major disagreements between the two sides.
Also read: Starvation in Gaza: How Israel is attempting to hide the truth of its brutal war
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