Palestinian journalists and Al Jazeera correspondents Anas Al Sharif and Mohammed Quraiqa, along with three fellow media workers, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting their tent near Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City late Sunday night.

The incident claimed the lives of seven people in total, including cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.

Al Jazeera and eyewitnesses confirmed the journalists were reporting from a designated press tent when the attack occurred. Moments before he was killed, the 28-year-old Al Sharif, a prominent correspondent known for documenting the conflict in northern Gaza, posted warnings of intense bombardment in Gaza City on social media.

Following the airstrike, Israel’s military claimed responsibility, alleging that Al Sharif led a Hamas cell and advanced rocket attacks, citing undisclosed documents as proof.

However, rights experts and media analysts have countered that no substantive evidence has been presented linking Al Sharif to militant activities, and highlighted that his daily work was reporting from the field.

Al Jazeera condemned the strike as a ‘blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom’ and called for urgent international intervention to halt the targeting of journalists in Gaza.

Since the start of Israeli military operations in October 2023, over 200 reporters and media workers have been killed, with Press advocacy groups warning of a growing pattern of targeting journalists.

In his pre-recorded final message, shared after his death, Al Sharif wrote about enduring pain and loss while continuing to bear witness to the situation in Gaza, urging remembrance of the suffering and resilience of its people.