11 August 2025 | 11:29 CAT
2-minute read

Israeli airstrike kills Al-Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif

In a devastating blow to press freedom and human rights, Anas al-Sharif, 28-year-old Al Jazeera Arabic, was killed late yesterday evening in Gaza, alongside fellow journalist Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.

The attack took place near the Al-Shifa Hospital, a location traditionally considered a sanctuary in conflict zones, underscoring the increasing dangers faced by media professionals covering the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.

In this week’s Palestine Report on Radio Islam International, Moulana Ebrahim Moosa, described the killing as “a double crime happening so close to a hospital,” highlighting the blatant disregard for international humanitarian norms.

The incident has sent shockwaves worldwide, exposing the perilous environment for journalists documenting the relentless violence in Gaza.

Anas Al-Sharif, born in 1996, had lived through the worst phases of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He was a witness to the Second Intifada as a child, the Gaza blockade imposed in 2007, the Operation Cast Lead offensive in 2008-2009, and the 2014 Gaza war. Sharif was not only a reporter but also a symbol of resilience, courageously documenting the horrors of war even after losing his father in an Israeli bombing.

As Moulana Moosa noted, “He reported despite his hunger, he reported when Israel bombed and killed his father, he reported through his own grief for his family and his colleagues.”

Al-Sharif had openly acknowledged the dangers of his work, having written his will long ago, an indication of the constant threats he faced.

The Israeli military claimed responsibility, alleging al-Sharif was an undercover member of Hamas, a charge widely disputed and seen by many as an attempt to justify the targeted killing of journalists.

“The killing of Anas al-Sharif also serves the Israelis to create a full media blackout, send a message that nobody’s safe in Gaza, and destroys an evidence, a mountain of evidence… that could testify against Israel in international fora,” Moulana Moosa said.

The attack is part of a broader, unrelenting Israeli military campaign that, according to analysts, appears to have no clear endpoint or measurable objective. Moulana Moosa explained the Israeli strategy as “a non-strategy being a strategy,” pointing to shifting goals—from freeing captives, forcing Hamas to surrender, to encouraging Palestinians to leave Gaza altogether. This ambiguity underpins what he described as a “battlefield without an endpoint,” characterised by relentless bombing and bulldozing of Gaza’s neighbourhoods.

Despite the grim reality, worldwide protests have erupted in cities including Istanbul, Tangier, Amsterdam, and Oslo, demanding sanctions against Israel, recognition of Palestinian sovereignty, and justice for victims. Moulana Moosa emphasised that “to truly break the genocide, to truly break apart an occupation, there still needs to be escalation of this movement, and intensification of its strategy all over the world.”

As the conflict continues, the death of Anas al-Sharif stands as a stark reminder of the human cost of war and the dangerous silence imposed on those who seek to tell the truth.

Listen to the Palestine Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.