Israel faces widespread condemnation after Al Jazeera correspondent killed in Gaza

Five staff members of the Doha-based broadcaster, Al Jazeera, including correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, were killed in the early hours of Monday in a targeted Israeli strike.

Al-Sharif was widely regarded by many as "the voice of Gaza" and has garnered popularity across the Arab world for his work covering the war in Gaza.

Al-Sharif predominantly operated out of the north of the Strip, mainly Gaza City, where he covered everything from the raids of the al-Shifa Hospital, to Israeli ground operations and the blockade on aid.

Israel accused him of being the "head of a terrorist cell" linked to Hamas, but provided no evidence to support the claim. After his death, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) posted on X, alleging that al-Sharif was masking as a journalist.

Al Jazeera slammed Israel for the deliberate targeting of its journalists, calling it "a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza."

The broadcaster also noted that al-Sharif was not the first of its journalists to be targeted and killed for their reporting in Gaza and called on Israel to produce "real evidence" to support their claims of their journalists being Hamas operatives.

The IDF did provide a spreadsheet alleging a link between al-Sharif and Hamas, which has been widely criticised on social media as people demand Israeli officials provide hard evidence.

German, UK governments condemn killing

Officials from Germany and the United Kingdom have condemned Israel's targeting and killing of the media crew.

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Josef Hinterseher said his government was dismayed over the killing, adding that Israel has several questions it must provide answers to.

He stressed that Israel must explain why it disregarded the protected status of the journalist it targeted and why the attack also killed his colleagues.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said that he is "gravely concerned" about the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza, asserting that journalists must not be targeted for carrying out their duties.

The European Union

The EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, has also spoken about the killings.

In a post on her social media platforms, Lahbib said she was "horrified" to learn of the killing of the Al Jazeera journalists.

"A direct hit on freedom of the press. Since Oct. 2023, at least 186 journalists have been killed. Civilians must be protected, access secured & the press safeguarded. Always," she added.

Qatar

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani blasted Israel for its killing of journalists working for the Doha-based broadcaster.

In a statement, he said Israel continues to "commit crimes beyond imagination" and criticised the international community and its laws and structures for its inability to "stop this tragedy."

The Qatari premier and top diplomat stressed that journalism is not a crime while highlighting that deliberately targeting journalists is a war crime.

International organisations

The United Nations Human Rights Office has condemned the killing of al-Sharif and the Al Jazeera team, calling it a "grave breach of international humanitarian law."

"Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists," it said in a social media post, noting that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.

"We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists," the office added.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also issued a statement of condemnation following the attack.

In a post on X, the organisation slammed Israel for the fatal air strike without providing credible evidence to verify their claims of his Hamas links.

They also paid tribute to al-Sharif's journalistic work in the enclave.

"A journalist of a rare calibre"

Euronews spoke with a member of senior management at Al Jazeera and a former colleague of al-Sharif's, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorisation to comment publicly.

He said it was appalling how the international community and media organisations continue to provide impunity for Israeli crimes.

"[The assassination] is a test of the world's conscience, but before that, it is a test of the conscience of journalists worldwide," he said.

"It is deeply saddening to see today some international media outlets choosing to ignore his killing at the hands of a brutal regime and even echoing the Israeli narrative accusing him of leading a Hamas cell, once again without presenting a single piece of evidence."

He added that the evidence Israel provided is not logical, stating that al-Sharif's duties saw him work for long periods, sometimes exceeding 12 hours a day, making it almost impossible to "run a terrorist cell" simultaneously.

"Anas spent more than two years almost permanently stationed in the journalists' tent, appearing repeatedly on television, anywhere between 10-15 live crosses daily, and during that time leading no other 'secret' life," he added.

They also spoke of al-Sharif's journalistic integrity and accuracy, characteristics he was renowned for since joining the broadcaster.

"Anas al-Sharif joined Al Jazeera years ago, initially as a fact-checking investigator in Gaza, where he was of great help to me and my department," he said.

"Since he transitioned to television news, and began appearing on screen, no one has been able to question the accuracy of any piece of information he reported. He was thus a model of a journalist of a rare calibre, in an era where falsification has become widespread."

Al-Sharif's former colleague says it's "a disgrace" for those who claim to defend the truth to resort to what he called "baseless accusations coming from a party that commits its crimes live on air."