Israeli massacre of Palestinian journalists

This undated photo shows Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al Sharif (left) and Mohammed Qraiqea outside a media tent

Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al Sharif holding his two children, daughter Sham (left) and son Salah (right)

Palestinian journalists and others gather for the funeral of six reporters directly targeted and killed by Israeli forces in a tent a day earlier in Gaza City, on 11 August 2025 (Mohammed al-Hajjar/MEE)        

Sharif’s killing is not an ending. It is the erasure of a witness before the curtain rises on what comes next: massacres planned in plain view, sanctioned by United States, United Kingdom, European allies and shameless Arab tyrants, to drive Gaza’s last survivors from their land. Sharif’s blood is not Israel’s burden alone. It stains the hands of every government that looked away

•  Move to hide forthcoming massacre to ethnic cleanse Palestinians?

Under its well-established policy to mislead the world of its barbarity the settler-fascist colonial state of Israel massacred Anas al-Sharif, one of Al Jazeera’s most recognisable faces in Gaza, Mohammed Qraiqea and five others in an attack on a tent for journalists in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. This was no accident of war. It was a precision attack – the deliberate erasure of journalists who would not stop telling the truth. 

The killings came after weeks of public incitement against Al Jazeera reporters, particularly al-Sharif. Israeli army spokesperson for Arabic media, Avichay Adraee, had singled him out in recent online posts, accusing him of spreading “false propaganda”. This perhaps is prelude to a larger massacre which is about to take place for Israel to takeover Gaza City and forcefully ethnic cleanse Palestinians. There were even reports that discussions are underway to settle Gaza Palestinians in South Sudan.

In a statement, Al Jazeera called Sharif “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and said the attack was “a desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza.” “Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people,” it said.

More than a journalist

“While international media was barred from entering, Al Jazeera journalists remained within besieged Gaza, experiencing the hunger and suffering they documented through their lenses. Through continuous, courageous live coverage, they have delivered searing eyewitness accounts of the horrors unleashed over 22 months of relentless bombing and destruction,” Sharif’s reporting entered millions of homes across the Arab world. More than a journalist, he became a trusted witness. His audience knew his grief as much as they knew his voice: the killing of his father by Israeli fire, and his separation from his mother, his daughter Sham, his baby son Salah – born during the genocide – and his wife Bayan. 

Columnist Maram Humaid said Al Jazeera Arabic’s entire northern Gaza crew had been wiped out – correspondents, cameramen and equipment – erased. The charges against them were ready-made, fabricated. But everyone knows Israel fears only one thing: the truth. Israel has killed 238 Palestinian journalists in Gaza since the beginning of the war in 8 October 2023. Sharif knew this might be his fate. 

Sharif’s killing is not an ending. It is the erasure of a witness before the curtain rises on what comes next: massacres planned in plain view, sanctioned by United States, United Kingdom, European allies and shameless Arab tyrants, to drive Gaza’s last survivors from their land. Sharif’s blood is not Israel’s burden alone. It stains the hands of every government that looked away. 

Shortly before his killing, in a final message, the reporter said that he had “lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification.” 

 Sharif’s will and final message

“This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. 

First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Allah knows I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp. My hope was that Allah would extend my life so I could return with my family and loved ones to our original town of occupied Asqalan (Al-Majdal). But Allah’s will came first, and His decree is final.

I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification—so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half.

I entrust you with Palestine—the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace. Their pure bodies were crushed under thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart and scattered across the walls. I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland. I entrust you to take care of my family.

I entrust you with my beloved daughter Sham, the light of my eyes, whom I never got the chance to watch grow up as I had dreamed. I entrust you with my dear son Salah, whom I had wished to support and accompany through life until he grew strong enough to carry my burden and continue the mission. I entrust you with my beloved mother, whose blessed prayers brought me to where I am, whose supplications were my fortress and whose light guided my path. I pray that Allah grants her strength and rewards her on my behalf with the best of rewards.

I also entrust you with my lifelong companion, my beloved wife, Umm Salah (Bayan), from whom the war separated me for many long days and months. Yet she remained faithful to our bond, steadfast as the trunk of an olive tree that does not bend—patient, trusting in Allah, and carrying the responsibility in my absence with all her strength and faith. I urge you to stand by them, to be their support after Allah Almighty. If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles.

I testify before Allah that I am content with His decree, certain of meeting Him, and assured that what is with Allah is better and everlasting. O Allah, accept me among the martyrs, forgive my past and future sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family. Forgive me if I have fallen short, and pray for me with mercy, for I kept my promise and never changed or betrayed it. Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance. Anas Jamal Al-Sharif 06.04.2025.”