The Guardian on Monday published excerpts from the purported will of Anas Al-Sharif, whom Israel says was a Hamas operative posing as an Al Jazeera journalist, killed in an Israeli airstrike near Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital the day before.
Posted on Al-Sharif’s X account after his death, the text described itself as a personal will, saying, “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.” Al-Sharif portrayed himself as “a support and a voice for my people [Palestinians]” and urged readers, “do not forget Gaza.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif laid to rest in Gaza
(Video: Reuters)
Al-Sharif covering the release of Israeli hostage Agam Berger from captivity
He requested care for his wife, children and mother, and expressed his wish to be “among the martyrs,” content with “Allah’s will” and certain of meeting his creator. He concluded, “Do not forget Gaza... And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.”
The killing reignited debate over ties between Hamas and Gaza-based journalists. Shlomi Ziv, a former hostage rescued in June 2024’s Operation Arnon alongside Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov, responded to a Sky News report on X, writing, “I was held by a journalist in captivity and his father was a Doctor!!!!!”
He referred to Abdallah Al-Jamal, a Hamas operative and Al Jazeera contributor who held hostages and was linked to the Iranian regime, according to a June 2024 Washington Free Beacon investigation. Al-Jamal collaborated with Tehran via a website edited by a writer for Kayhan International, a publication overseen by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The IDF swiftly acknowledged the airstrike, identifying Al-Sharif as the head of a Hamas rocket unit in eastern Jabaliya, a claim he and Al Jazeera previously denied. The IDF emphasized his role with “the Qatari network Al Jazeera.”
Qatar condemned the “deliberate assassination of journalists,” with Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani saying, “The targeted killing of journalists in Gaza reveals crimes beyond imagination,” and accusing the international community of failing to act.
4 View gallery
West Bank protests over killing of Anas Al-Sharif
(Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
The Guardian noted this was the first time in the war that the IDF so quickly admitted responsibility for killing a journalist. The strike highlighted the complex relationship between Israel and Qatar, a key mediator in ceasefire and hostage release deal talks, yet viewed by Israel as both a channel to Hamas and a hostile actor.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son, Yair, accused Qatar of “funding the rise of global antisemitism.” International media covered the killing extensively, with headlines like “Israel Kills Journalists in Airstrike.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Sky News featured Al Jazeera’s condemnation, citing the Committee to Protect Journalists’ claim that at least 186 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reported 238 deaths of media personnel since October 7, 2023. Outlets including CNN, BBC, NBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian and The New York Times covered the event.
4 View gallery
West Bank protests over killing of Al-Sharif
(Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Al Jazeera denounced the attack as a “preplanned assassination of reporters and photographers by Israeli forces.” Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar wrote, “Al Jazeera—without reporters in Gaza. Anas Al-Sharif, martyr,” alleging the IDF justified “its crimes” by claiming Al-Sharif led a Hamas unit.
Some reports, citing eyewitnesses, said he was hit after answering a phone call. The IDF described Al-Sharif as a senior Hamas operative, saying he was present at the release ceremonies of hostages Agam Berger, Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher, and had been seen alongside Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Khalil Al-Hayya.
Social media users shared images circulated by the IDF of Al-Sharif with Sinwar, while the Committee to Protect Journalists criticized Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as terrorists without credible evidence. Reporters Without Borders condemned the “admitted killing” and called for international intervention.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed concern over repeated attacks on journalists, stressing their protection under international humanitarian law. The UN Human Rights Office labeled the strike a “serious violation” of those laws.