Airstrike carried out by Israel results in death of significant Al Jazeera journalist and associates
In a tragic turn of events, Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Gaza television journalist, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on August 10, 2025. This strike also claimed the lives of four Al Jazeera staff journalists and two freelancers, making it the deadliest single attack on journalists in the Israel-Gaza war to date, with six journalists killed in total during this strike.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has strongly condemned these killings, defining them as deliberate murders of journalists for their professional work. CPJ had previously called for al-Sharif’s protection, citing that he faced a real-life threat beyond media-related harassment.
In response to these killings and related terrorism allegations, CPJ reached out to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Al-Jazeera journalists were also among the victims, indicating deep concern and likely condemnation from that organization. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has not provided a detailed statement regarding the incident, but it is known that they have reported the highest death toll for journalists ever recorded in a single year of war, attributed to Israel's lethal attacks.
Anas al-Sharif, a father of two young children, one of whom was born during the war, was known for his live broadcasts from areas bombed by Israeli fighter jets. In his last broadcast, he showed images of Gaza's famished children suffering from Israeli restrictions on aid.
Israel's military has accused al-Sharif of being a Hamas cell commander operating under the false cover of a journalist. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists has stated that the allegations against al-Sharif are unsubstantiated.
NPR's Aya Batrawy reports that al-Sharif was named in a list 10 months ago by Israel, which accused him and six other Al Jazeera journalists of having ties with militant groups. Al-Jazeera claims the attack is an attempt to "silence the voices exposing the military's impending seizure and occupation of Gaza."
Al-Sharif was killed while wearing a blue press vest, a standard item worn by journalists in war zones. His friends on the same list were either assassinated or severely wounded, but he never wavered or left the north.
This report contains descriptions of the attack that killed Anas al-Sharif and may be distressing to some listeners. Despite the danger, al-Sharif remained steadfast in his commitment to truth, even anticipating his own death after the loss of his father early in the war in an airstrike on the family's home. Through pain and suffering, he never once hesitated to convey the truth.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed strong condemnation over the killings of Anas al-Sharif and other journalists, defining the incidents as deliberate murders for professional work.
- CPJ had previously called for al-Sharif’s protection due to real-life threats, yet did not receive a response from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) when reaching out after the attack.
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in response to the high death toll of journalists in Israel's war, has reported the incident but has yet to provide a detailed statement regarding the attack that killed Anas al-Sharif.
