End of the Mission of the “World’s Bravest Journalist” on the Front Lines of the Gaza War

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The prominent Al-Jazeera journalist and one of the most well-known media figures in the region was martyred along with 4 of his colleagues in an Israeli airstrike. The attack took place on Sunday evening in a journalists’ tent located at Al-Shifa Hospital, killing a total of 7 people. Al-Sharif was 28 years old and was killed along with another Al-Jazeera correspondent, Mohammed Qariqa, and 3 cameramen, Ibrahim Zahir, Mohammed Nofal, and Moamen Aliwa. The news team had played a key role in covering the war since October 7.

The Israeli army, while accepting responsibility for the attack, claimed: “Al-Sharif was the leader of a Hamas unit and was responsible for launching rocket attacks against Israeli army forces. We have obtained information and documents from Gaza that prove this.”

Al Jazeera described the attack as a desperate attempt to silence the voice of Gaza and described Al-Sharif as the bravest journalist. Anas’s last report from Gaza was published on Al Jazeera minutes after his martyrdom.

Last month, Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraei posted a video of Al-Sharif on the social network X and accused him of being a member of Hamas’s military wing. The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression called the accusation "baseless" and a "blatant attack on journalists". Al-Sharif had recently told the Committee to Protect Journalists that he lives with “the feeling of being bombed and martyred at any moment.”

Sara Qudah, as CPJ regional director, responded that labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about Israel’s intentions and respect for media freedom.

“Journalists are civilians and should not be considered military targets,” she added. “Israel must be held accountable for this crime.”

Anas al-Sharif was a symbol of the commitment and honor of journalists in the midst of the crisis. Minutes before he passed away, he reported on social media on X about the intense and concentrated Israeli bombardment and the creation of fire belts in the eastern and southern areas of Gaza City.

“I have experienced all the pains of life and the pain of loss many times, but I have never hesitated to convey the truth without distortion or fabrication,” she said. "God is witnessing those who remained silent, those who accepted our killing, those who held our breath, those whose hearts were not moved by the sight of the scattered remains of our children and women, and did nothing to prevent the massacre that our people have been facing for more than a year and a half."

Al-Sharif's personal life was filled with tragedy. He is survived by his wife and two young children. Anas' father was killed in an airstrike in 2023 on the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City. Al-Sharif announced at the time that he would continue reporting and would not leave northern Gaza. He grew up in the Jabalia camp and longed to return to his hometown of occupied Al-Majdal.

After Al-Sharif's martyrdom, his will was published. Anas asked people to support his daughter Sham, his son Salah, his wife Bayan, and his mother in his absence. Expressing his love and affection for his wife, he described her as a steadfast and loyal woman who takes responsibilities with patience and faith in his absence. Anas also expressed hope that shedding his blood would pave the way for the liberation of the Palestinian people, seeking forgiveness from God.

The attack occurred just a week after an Israeli military official directly accused Al-Sharif and launched a media campaign against Al-Jazeera and its journalists. The journalists’ crime was their relentless reporting on hunger, famine, and malnutrition in Gaza.

The Zionist regime does not allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza and targets local journalists by committing numerous war crimes. According to the Gaza government media office, 237 journalists have been killed by Israel since the war began on October 7, 2023. The height of Israel’s shamelessness can be seen in its official admission of responsibility for these crimes.

The killing of Al-Sharif and his colleagues is a testament to the growing restrictions on freedom of expression in the world's media and shows that in Gaza, pens and cameras are as effective as the most advanced weapons.