Correction made by Al Jazeera on the total number of employees killed in Gaza - Gaza death toll for Al-Jashira staff revised
In the heart of the Gaza Strip, on August 10, 2025, an Israeli air strike targeted a tent for journalists in the northern Gaza city, resulting in a tragic loss of life. Among the victims was Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who was prominently known for his coverage of the Gaza war.
The Israeli military claimed that al-Sharif was a member of Hamas, accusing him of being a leader of a Hamas cell posing as a journalist. They presented documents they said showed personnel rosters and other evidence linking him to Hamas [1][5]. However, Al Jazeera and international watchdogs, including Reporters Without Borders, have consistently rejected these allegations, asserting that they are unsubstantiated and part of a broader effort to discredit journalists reporting on the conflict [2][4].
The attack on the journalists was internationally criticized, with the UN Special Rapporteur previously stating that Israel's claims against al-Sharif were unsubstantiated [1]. The incident also claimed the lives of three other Al Jazeera employees and three other journalists, bringing the total number of deaths in the same incident to six [3].
Two days after the air strike, there is still no explanation from the army as to why they targeted al-Sharif when he was with five other journalists [6]. The Israeli military has not commented on the other five victims of the air strike.
Al Jazeera, an Arabic TV network, previously reported that five employees had been killed, but the corrected number is now three [7]. The incident has been widely condemned by press freedom organizations and the international community, who view the attack as a deliberate attempt to silence reporting on the conflict [2][3].
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-gaza-media-idUSKCN0V11XU [2] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/12/israel-accused-of-targeting-al-jazeera-journalists-in-gaza [3] https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/8/12/israel-air-strike-kills-al-jazeera-journalist-gaza [4] https://rsf.org/en/news/rsf-condemns-israeli-attack-al-jazeera-journalists-gaza [5] https://www.idf.il/site/apps/news/article/show/?id=6185 [6] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/12/israel-accused-of-targeting-al-jazeera-journalists-in-gaza [7] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/14/al-jazeera-corrected-number-of-its-employees-killed-in-israeli-air-strike-in-gaza
- The Commission, responsible for politics and general news, has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of journalists from the risks related to wars and conflicts, given the recent Israeli air strike targeting a tent for journalists in Gaza.
- As the incident involving the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in the Gaza war is met with international condemnation for its potential silence of reporting on the conflict, it raises concerns about the need for robust protections for journalists during war-and-conflicts times.
