Hamas-Israel conflict: Al Jazeera Arabic reporter Anas Al-Sharif, a senior Gaza-based correspondent who made headlines with his frontline reporting of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, was killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on a journalists’ tent near the main gate of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The attack came minutes after he posted videos of intense bombardment on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Al Jazeera confirmed that Al-Sharif, 28, along with fellow correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, died in the strike. Gaza health officials said two others were also killed.
In his final post on X, which had over 500,000 followers, Al-Sharif said, “Relentless bombardment. For two hours, the Israeli aggression has intensified in Gaza City.” Moments later, an airstrike destroyed the tent in which a number of journalists had been reporting. The tent, according to Al Jazeera, was clearly marked as a press location and situated outside the hospital, considered a central reporting point during the war.
قصف لا يتوقف…
منذ ساعتين والعدوان الإسرائيلي يشتد على مدينة غزة. pic.twitter.com/yW8PesTkFT— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) August 10, 2025
Israeli Military Accusations And Response
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement stating Al-Sharif was “the head of a Hamas terrorist cell” and accused him of planning rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and troops “under the cover of being a journalist.” “Intelligence and records from Gaza, such as rosters, terrorist training records, and payroll records, confirm he was a Hamas operative embedded with Al Jazeera. A press badge isn’t a bulletproof vest for terror,” the IDF posted on X. Al Jazeera Media Network rejected the claims, accusing Israel of waging a “campaign of incitement” against its journalists to legitimize targeting them. “The network strongly condemns and denounces these relentless efforts. This is a dangerous attempt to justify the targeting of our staff,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.
🎯STRUCK: Hamas terrorist Anas Al-Sharif, who 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.
Intelligence and documents from Gaza, including rosters, terrorist training lists and… pic.twitter.com/ypFaEYDHse— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 10, 2025
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which last month warned Al-Sharif’s life was at “acute risk,” stated that Israel had presented no credible evidence to back up its accusations. “Israel’s practice of labeling reporters as militants with no evidence undermines its commitment to press freedom,” CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa Director Sara Qudah said. UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan also earlier labeled Israel’s claims against Al-Sharif as baseless, calling for international protection of journalists in Gaza.
Who Was Anas Al-Sharif?
Al-Sharif, a graduate of the Al-Aqsa University Faculty of Media, won the Best Young Journalist Award in Palestine in 2018 for his coverage. He was widely recognized for his courageous on-ground coverage from northern Gaza, often broadcasting live during active bombardments. His reporting had previously drawn attention from Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee, who in July accused him on social media of being linked to Hamas’s armed wing.
ALSO READ: Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Plan To Take ‘Full Control Of Gaza City’ Amid Ongoing Conflict
At least 237 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war erupted on October 7, 2023, with 186 confirmed fatalities according to CPJ records. At least 90 journalists are also behind bars at the hands of Israel. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office accused Israel of targeting local media personnel on a systematic basis to cover up reporting on the war. Al Jazeera referred to Al-Sharif and his fellow correspondents as “among the very few remaining voices in Gaza reporting the tragic truth to the world.”
ALSO READ: ‘Living Skeleton, Buried Alive’: Israeli Hostage’s Family Reacts To Harrowing Videos From Hamas Showing Son Near Death
The assassination was hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed foreign media in Jerusalem, stating that he instructed the military to permit more foreign journalists into Gaza in the interest of responsible and safe access. In the meantime, Israeli soldiers escalated the assault in Gaza with warnings from humanitarian groups of a growing hunger crisis following 22 months of war. Hamas claimed the killing of Al-Sharif signaled the start of a “major crime” Israel was planning in Gaza City.