On Air Now

Mike on Breakfast

6:00am - 10:00am

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Sugababes

Here Come The Girls

Download

Al Jazeera condemns 'assassination' of its journalists in Gaza

Five Al Jazeera employees have been killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza - including a journalist who feared he was going to be assassinated.

Anas al Sharif died alongside four of his colleagues from the network: Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had recently expressed "grave" concerns about al Sharif's safety, and claimed he was "being targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign".

Gaza latest: Follow live updates

Israel Defence Forces confirmed the strike - and alleged al Sharif was a "terrorist" who "served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organisation".

It claimed he was "responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops".

In a statement, Al Jazeera called it a "targeted assassination" - and "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom".

Last month, al Sharif said he lived with "the feeling that I could be bombed and martyred at any moment" because his coverage of Israel's operations "harms them and damages their image in the world".

As of 5 August, at least 186 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza - but foreign reporters have been barred from covering the war independently since the latest conflict began in 2023.

The Hamas-run government has described Israel's killing of these five Al Jazeera journalists as "brutal and heinous".

A statement added: "The assassination was premeditated and deliberate, following a deliberate, direct targeting of the journalists' tent near al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

"The targeting of journalists and media institutions by Israeli aircraft is a full-fledged war crime aimed at silencing the truth and obliterating the traces of genocidal crimes."

Read more:
Netanyahu vows to defeat Hamas
UK joins four countries in condemning Israel's plan for new Gaza operation

Following Anas al Sharif's death, a post described as his "last will and testament" was posted on X.

It read: "If these words of mine reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice."

The 28-year-old added that he laments being able to fulfil his dream of seeing his son and daughter grow up - and alleged he had witnessed children "crushed by thousands of tonnes of Israeli bombs and missiles".

"Do not forget Gaza ... and do not forget me in your prayers for forgiveness and acceptance," he wrote.

The CPJ reported that his father was killed by an Israeli airstrike on their family home in December 2023 after the journalist received telephone threats from Israeli army officers instructing him to cease coverage.

Israel shut down the Al Jazeera television network in the country in May last year.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2025: Al Jazeera condemns 'assassination' of its journalists in Gaza

Did you find this article useful?

This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast. We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters. We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations. We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns, but the cost of providing high quality, well researched, fact checked local news coverage is significant.

If you appreciate what This is the Coast does, and would like to help support our journalism, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today.

A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast.

More from Video

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 25°C | Low: 17°C

  • Filey

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 26°C | Low: 17°C

  • Whitby

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 25°C | Low: 16°C

  • Bridlington

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 26°C | Low: 16°C

  • Hornsea

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 26°C | Low: 17°C

  • Driffield

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 27°C | Low: 16°C

News