UN, EU Condemn Israeli Strike That Killed Al Jazeera Journalists in Gaza
Israel alleges Hamas ties, while the UN denounces the strike as a grave breach of international law.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Condemnations poured in from the United Nations, the European Union, and media rights groups on Monday after an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera news team in Gaza, as Palestinians mourned the journalists and Israel accused one of them of being a Hamas militant, according to AFP.
Dozens of Gazans gathered in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to pay their respects to Anas al-Sharif, a 28-year-old prominent Al Jazeera correspondent, and four of his colleagues killed on Sunday. Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said a sixth journalist, freelance reporter Mohammed Al-Khaldi, also died in the strike that targeted the Al Jazeera team.
Mourners, including men wearing blue journalists’ flak jackets, carried the bodies — wrapped in white shrouds with faces exposed — through the narrow alleys to their graves.
Israel confirmed it had targeted Sharif, labeling him a “terrorist” affiliated with Hamas and alleging he “posed as a journalist.” The Israeli military claimed he headed a Hamas “terrorist cell” and was “responsible for advancing rocket attacks” against Israelis. It released documents purportedly showing his enlistment with Hamas in 2013, an injury report from 2017, and details of his military unit and rank.
Local journalists who knew Sharif said he began his career working with a Hamas communication office, promoting events organized by the group, which has ruled Gaza since 2006. He later became one of Al Jazeera’s most recognizable correspondents, providing daily coverage of the now 22-month-old war.
Al Jazeera confirmed that correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa were also killed when the strike hit a tent set up for journalists outside Al-Shifa’s main gate.
The UN human rights agency called the strike on journalists a “grave breach of international humanitarian law,” while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, “The EU condemns the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists.”
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, also condemned what he described as Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists in Gaza, calling it a crime “beyond imagination.”
In a post on X, he said the attacks highlighted the inability of the international community and its laws to halt the tragedy, offering condolences to slain journalists Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, and their colleagues.