Anas Al-Sharif, a courageous Al Jazeera correspondent and a beacon of truth in Gaza, was martyred alongside five colleagues in a deliberate Israeli airstrike targeting a journalists’ tent near Al-Shifa Medical Complex on Sunday, August 10.

The attack claimed the lives of Al-Sharif, fellow correspondent Mohammed Qreiqa, cameramen Ibrahim Zahir and Moamen Alouwa, crew driver Mohammed Noufal, and injured journalist Mohammed Sobh, according to the local sources. This deliberate strike, condemned as a war crime, underscores Israel’s relentless campaign to silence journalists exposing the horrors of its ongoing genocide in Gaza.

A Life Dedicated to Truth

Born in 1996 in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Anas Al-Sharif emerged as one of Al Jazeera’s most prominent field correspondents following the escalation of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. From the rubble-strewn streets of Gaza City to the famine-ravaged north, Al-Sharif’s reports captured the raw anguish of his people. For nearly 20 months, since joining Al Jazeera in November 2023, he braved relentless bombardment, starvation, and displacement to document massacres, hospital sieges, and the systematic destruction of Palestinian life. His broadcasts, often delivered amid the chaos of airstrikes and ambulance sirens, became a lifeline for the world to witness Gaza’s plight.

Anas’s courage was unshaken even by personal tragedy. In December 2023, an Israeli airstrike on his family home in Jabalia killed his father, Jamal Al-Sharif, aged 65. Despite this profound loss, Anas continued his work, driven by an unyielding commitment to truth. He also reported on the targeting of his colleagues, including the 2024 martyrdom of Al Jazeera journalists Ismail Al-Ghoul and Rami Al-Reefi in a strike on Al-Shati refugee camp. A devoted husband and father to a son and daughter, Anas’s resolve was evident in a January 2025 Instagram post by his wife, showing him cradling his children, a moment of tenderness amid unrelenting violence.

A Targeted Assassination

The Israeli occupation army’s targeting of Anas was neither sudden nor isolated. Since August 2024, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee launched a public incitement campaign against him, escalating in July 2025 with baseless accusations that Al-Sharif was affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Al Jazeera swiftly rejected these claims, denouncing them as “systematic incitement to justify the crime of assassination.” The network condemned the strike as “a blatant and deliberate attack on press freedom, and a desperate attempt to silence voices before the invasion of Gaza.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement in late July 2025, warning that Israel’s public accusations endangered Al-Sharif’s life. “The incitement against Anas Al-Sharif increases the risk of targeting him,” the CPJ declared, urging guarantees for his safety. Defiant, Anas responded, “I will not be silent. I will not stop. My voice will remain a witness to every crime.” His resolve echoed the legacy of Palestinian journalistic martyrs like Ghassan Kanafani, Kamal Adwan, and Shireen Abu Akleh, who similarly gave their lives to amplify Palestine’s voice.

A Final Testament

On April 6, 2025, Anas penned his will, a haunting testament to his awareness of the dangers he faced. “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice,” he wrote. “I have lived pain in all its details, tasted grief and loss many times, yet I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification.” In his final report, broadcast hours before his martyrdom, Anas described the intensifying Israeli bombardment of Gaza City: “The bombing doesn’t stop; for two hours now the Israeli aggression has been relentless.” Moments later, the journalists’ tent was struck, ending his life and those of his colleagues.

UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan condemned the attack, stating: “The Israeli occupation army seeks to kill the truth by silencing every voice that tells what is happening in Gaza.” She praised Al-Sharif as “a courageous journalist” who persisted despite direct threats, adding, “They know no honor.” Khan noted that her prior warnings about the targeting of journalists went unheeded, as Israel continued its pattern of violence against the press. Since October 2023, over 100 journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers in modern history.

An Icon of Resistance

Ezzat Al-Resheq, a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau, mourned Al-Sharif as “the icon of truth and witness to the famine in Gaza.” In a heartfelt tribute, he praised Anas’s role in exposing the brutality of Israel’s occupation through vivid reporting, fulfilling “the duty of the word” until his final moments. Resheq placed Al-Sharif in the pantheon of Palestinian journalistic heroes, alongside Kanafani, Adwan, and Abu Akleh, who sacrificed their lives to carry Palestine’s struggle to the world. “We will miss Anas Al-Sharif’s voice and his journalistic coverage,” Resheq said, “but his name and memory will remain until the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Anas’s refusal to flee Gaza, despite suggestions from colleagues and friends, reflected his unwavering dedication. “I will leave Gaza only to paradise,” he declared, a sentiment echoed in his will. His reporting not only documented the genocide but also humanized the Palestinian struggle, sharing stories of resilience, loss, and hope. In one memorable broadcast, he interviewed a displaced mother in northern Gaza, her voice trembling as she described feeding her children grass to survive the famine. Such stories, amplified by Anas’s lens, pierced the global conscience.

A Call for Justice

The martyrdom of Anas Al-Sharif and his colleagues is a stark reminder of Israel’s systematic campaign to suppress Palestinian voices. The international community must hold Israel accountable for these war crimes, which violate international humanitarian law protecting journalists as civilians. Al Jazeera has called for an independent investigation into the strike, urging global media organizations to condemn the targeting of its team. The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate has demanded that the International Criminal Court include the killings in its ongoing probe into Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Anas Al-Sharif’s legacy as a journalist, father, and son of Palestine endures in the truth he fought to tell. His voice, though silenced by violence, will echo through the continued struggle for justice and liberation. As Gaza mourns its fallen hero, the world must honor his sacrifice by amplifying the stories he died to share. (ILKHA)