ARTICLE 19 condemns in the strongest possible terms Israel’s horrific attack late on Sunday, 10 August, targeting a tent outside Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital. The targeted attack resulted in the deaths of journalist Anas al-Sharif, correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa, all of whom worked for Al Jazeera.
In a statement, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) confirmed that it had targeted and deliberately killed al-Sharif, accusing him of leading a Hamas cell and ‘advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and troops’. Prior to his killing, the United Nations warned of threats to his life and called for his protection. The Committee to Protect Journalists also warned of a smear campaign against al-Sharif, which represented ‘an effort to manufacture consent’ for his killing.
Under international humanitarian law, journalists are classified as civilians and must be protected. Targeting them constitutes a war crime.
ARTICLE 19 has previously denounced Israel’s gruesome method of targeting and killing Palestinian journalists and their families based on alleged affiliations with or links to militant groups without credible evidence. Such actions are part of a broader strategy to stifle critical reporting, silence Palestinian voices, and obstruct documentation of atrocities and violations of international law. Israel’s silencing of journalists is taking place as it intensifies its assault on the Gaza Strip and manufactures a famine that has seen untold suffering among Palestinians in Gaza and the deaths of hundreds of civilians at food distribution points in recent weeks.
Since October 2023, press freedom in Gaza has been under sustained attack, with at least 192 journalists and media workers killed since 7 October 2023. The attack on 10 August represents another example of the danger journalists face when working in areas affected by conflict and under occupation.
Israel continues its deliberate killings amid a culture of impunity and lack of accountability. The IDF subjects the handful of journalists who remain in Gaza to brutal violence, life-threatening hunger, and displacement.
ARTICLE 19 calls for an independent international investigation into the killings of journalists in Gaza since 7 October 2023 and urges the International Criminal Court to examine these incidents as potential violations of the Rome Statute.
ARTICLE 19 also reiterates our urgent call for a ceasefire and for Israel to allow immediate humanitarian aid into Gaza, and permit the entry of foreign media into the territory.