Israel has been condemned for the deliberate killing of an Al Jazeera crew of five in Gaza.
Anas Al Sharif, 28, was among a group of journalists who were killed in a strike on a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza city.
The other journalists killed were Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed Noufal, Al Jazeera said. A sixth journalist, Mohammad Al Khaldi, was reported to have been killed alongside the team, Reuters said later on Monday, quoting hospital staff. Another person yet to be identified was also killed.
Qatar has condemned the "deliberate targeting" of journalists in Gaza, describing the latest deaths as "crimes beyond imagination".
"The deliberate targeting of journalists by Israel in the Gaza Strip reveals how these crimes are beyond imagination, amid the inability of the international community and its laws to stop this tragedy," Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in a post on X.
"May God have mercy on journalists Anas Al Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh and their colleagues," he added.
The UN human rights office has also denounced the deaths, calling for safe access to the strip for all journalists.
"We condemn the killing by Israeli military of 6 Palestinian journalists by targeting their tent, in grave breach of international humanitarian law. Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists," it said in a post on X.
A press freedom group and a UN expert previously warned that Mr Al Sharif's life was in danger due to his reporting from Gaza. UN special rapporteur Irene Khan said last month that Israel's claims against him were unsubstantiated.
Al Jazeera said Mr Al Sharif had left a social media message to be posted in the event of his death that read, “I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent”.
In his last video, the loud Israeli bombing can be heard in the background. “For the past two hours, Israeli aggression on Gaza city has intensified,” the caption reads.
The Israeli army claimed that Mr Al Sharif was a “Hamas leader” posing as an Al Jazeera journalist. The network and journalists' groups have denied the accusations.
Rights advocates said he had been attacked for his frontline reporting on the Gaza war and Israel's claim lacked evidence.
Calling Mr Al Sharif “one of Gaza's bravest journalists”, Al Jazeera said the attack was a “desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza”.
In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists, which in July urged the international community to protect Mr Al Sharif, said Israel had failed to provide any evidence to back up its allegations against him.
“Israel’s pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Mr Al Sharif, whose X account showed more than 500,000 followers, posted on the platform minutes before his death that Israel had been intensely bombarding Gaza city for more than two hours.
Palestinian militant group Hamas, which runs Gaza, said the killing may signal the start of an Israeli offensive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would launch a new offensive to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza, where a hunger crisis is escalating after 22 months of war. “Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices in Gaza conveying the tragic reality to the world,” Al Jazeera said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said more than 180 journalists have been killed since the war started on October 7, 2023
