An outpouring of grief and condemnation has followed the Israeli assassination of five Al Jazeera staff in Gaza, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif.
The drone attack late on Sunday hit a tent for journalists positioned outside the main gate of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, killing seven people. Among the dead were Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed Noufal.
A sixth journalist, Mohammad al-Khaldi, a local freelance reporter, was also reported killed in the air attack. Reporters Without Borders said three more journalists were wounded in the same strike.
Just hours earlier, al-Sharif, 28, had posted on X about Israel’s “intense, concentrated bombardment” on eastern and southern Gaza City. Known for his fearless reporting from northern Gaza, he had become one of the most recognisable voices documenting the ongoing Israeli genocide in the enclave.
The Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned what it called a “targeted assassination” of its journalists.
Below are some of the responses to the killing of Al Jazeera staff:
Palestine
The Palestinian mission to the United Nations accused Israel of “deliberately assassinating” al-Sharif and Qreiqeh, describing them as among the “last remaining journalists” in Gaza.
“They have systematically and dutifully exposed and documented Israel’s genocide and starvation,” the mission said on X. “As Israel continues to ethnically cleanse Gaza, its enemy remains the truth: the brave journalists exposing its heinous crimes.”
Hamas has also decried Israel’s assassination of Al Jazeera’s journalists.
In a statement, the Palestinian group described the attack as part of a “widespread targeting of journalists unprecedented in any war”, saying the killings aimed to silence media coverage in Gaza before “major crimes” planned against Palestinians in the besieged territory.
It called on the UN Security Council and the international community to condemn the killings and take immediate action to hold Israeli leaders accountable for what it called war crimes.
It added that al-Sharif had been a “symbol of free journalism”, documenting scenes of famine in Gaza and the impact of Israel’s crippling siege.
Iran
Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmail Baghaei has called on the world to hold Israel to account after the killing of the five Al Jazeera staff.
“A press badge is no shield against genocidal war criminals who fear the world witnessing their atrocities,” said Baghaei, accusing Israel of assassinating the journalists “in cold blood”.
“Strong condemnation is the bare minimum for any decent human being, but the world must act immediately to stop this harrowing genocide and hold the criminals accountable,” he added.
“Indifference and inaction are complicity in Israel’s crimes.”
Qatar
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has strongly criticised Israel over the killing of Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, calling it a shocking violation of press freedom.
Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, said the deaths showed the “deliberate targeting of journalists by Israel in the Gaza Strip reveals how these crimes are beyond imagination, amid the inability of the int’l community & its laws to stop this tragedy.”
In a post on social media, he added: “May God have mercy on journalists Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, & their colleagues.”
United Nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing of Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, his spokesperson said, and called for an independent investigation.
“At least 242 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began,” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on behalf of Guterres. “Journalists and media workers must be respected, they must be protected and they must be allowed to carry out their work freely, free from fear and free from harassment.”
Al Jazeera is reporting that Israel has killed nearly 270 journalists and media workers since it launched its war on Gaza.
UNRWA
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a post on X: “The Israeli Army continues to silence voices reporting atrocities from Gaza.”
“I am horrified by the killing of another 5 journalists in Gaza city. Since the war began, more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been reported killed in total impunity.”
“Israel is also blocking access of international journalists to report independently since the war began nearly two years ago. Journalists must be protected and international media must get into Gaza to support the heroic work of their Palestinian colleagues. This is the only way to counter disinformation and prevent doubts about the scale of atrocities committed in Gaza.”
The UN human rights office
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the killing of six Palestinian journalists in Gaza, saying the actions by Israel’s military represented a “grave breach of international humanitarian law”.
“Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists,” the office said in a post on X.
“We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists.”
European Union
The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc “condemns the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in an [Israeli military] airstrike outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, including the Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif.”
Speaking of the Israeli allegations that al-Sharif was a Hamas member, Kallas said there was “a need in these cases to provide clear evidence, in the respect of rule of law, to avoid targeting of journalists”.
Al Jazeera Media Network
The Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned “in the strongest terms” the killing of its journalists in a targeted assassination by Israeli forces.
In a statement, the network said the Israeli military “admitted to their crimes” and deliberately directed the attack at the journalists’ location. It called the assassination “another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”.
The strike came amid what Al Jazeera described as the “catastrophic consequences” of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, including mass civilian deaths, forced starvation, and the destruction of entire communities.
The network called the killing of al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most prominent reporters, and his colleagues “a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza”.
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is “appalled” by Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera journalists.
“Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said the CPJ’s regional director, Sara Qudah.
“Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable,” Qudah added.
Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the CPJ, recalled how Israel accused al-Sharif and others of being “terrorists” last October without evidence.
“We warned back then that this felt to us like a precursor to justify assassination,” she told Al Jazeera. “This is part of a pattern … going back decades, in which it kills journalists.”
Amnesty International
Amnesty International condemned the strike as a war crime under international law and remembered al-Sharif as a “brave and extraordinary” reporter.
In 2024, al-Sharif was awarded Amnesty International Australia’s Human Rights Defender Award for his resilience and commitment to press freedom.
“We at Amnesty International are devastated and heartbroken,” said Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s spokesperson on the occupied Palestinian territory. “Anas dedicated his life to standing before the camera, exposing Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians, and documenting the truth so the world could bear witness.
“The courageous and brave journalists who have been reporting since the genocide began have been operating in the most dangerous conditions on Earth. At great risk to their lives, they have remained to show the world the war crimes being committed by Israel against almost two million Palestinian women, men and children,” he added.
Human Rights Watch
The prominent global rights group has strongly condemned the targeted killings of Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
Human Rights Watch denounced the “brazen targeted killing”, which it said underscored both the “unimaginable peril” faced by Palestinian journalists and the Israeli military’s “complete disregard for civilian life”.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Reporters Without Borders has condemned the “acknowledged murder by the Israeli army” of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in Gaza, saying the military admitted to targeting him.
RSF told AFP al-Sharif was “one of the most famous journalists from the Gaza Strip (and) the voice of the suffering Israel has imposed on Palestinians in Gaza.”
RSF said the attack echoed the 2023 killing of Al Jazeera reporter Ismail al-Ghoul, also labelled a “terrorist” by Israel.
“Without strong action from the international community… we’re likely to witness more such extrajudicial murders of media professionals,” RSF warned, urging the UN Security Council to act.
National Press Club
Mike Balsamo, president of the US-based National Press Club, said the killing of journalists is “a loss felt far beyond one newsroom” and urged a “thorough and transparent” investigation.
“Journalists must be able to work without being targeted or killed,” Balsamo said. “All parties in conflict zones must honour their obligations under international law to protect reporters and ensure they can carry out their work safely.”
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned Israel’s killing of five Al Jazeera journalists and called on US and international media workers to “stand in solidarity” with their Palestinian colleagues.
“Israel’s ongoing campaign of targeted assassinations of Palestinian journalists is a war crime, plain and simple,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.
“The murder of these Al Jazeera journalists is not an accident or collateral damage – it is part of a consistent, documented policy of silencing media voices and hiding the truth of the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza,” Awad said.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed 269 journalists in Gaza, in the deadliest conflict ever recorded for reporters.
