– Shifa

Rafah, Gaza Strip – An Israeli airstrike on Sunday, August 10, 2024, resulted in the deaths of five journalists working for Al Jazeera, sparking international condemnation and raising concerns about press freedom in the ongoing conflict. The strike occurred near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza’s Rafah district.

Al Jazeera has denounced the attack as a intentional act of “targeted murder” and a violation of press freedom. The network stated that the attack was a “planned assault” intended to silence media coverage of the situation in Gaza.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed targeting Hamas operative Hamed Al-Sharif in the airstrike. According to the IDF, Al-Sharif headed a Hamas “theory cell” and was responsible for rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians and IDF troops. the IDF claims this assessment is based on intelligence and documents recovered within Gaza. The IDF statement, released via telegram, did not address the deaths of the accompanying journalists.

The journalists killed have been identified as Hamed al-Sharif (also identified as a Hamas operative by Israel), Mohamed Abu Daqa, and three others whose names have not yet been officially released by Al Jazeera as of August 11, 2024, 10:00 AM GMT. At least seven people were killed in the strikes near Al-Shifa Hospital, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting.

Al Jazeera’s implementing editor, Mohamed Moawad, described Al-Sharif as a credentialed journalist who provided a crucial perspective on events unfolding in Gaza. Moawad emphasized the difficulty international media face in accessing Gaza due to Israeli restrictions, making local journalists vital sources of information.

“They were targeted while in tents, not engaged in frontline reporting. The Israeli government appears intent on suppressing any independent reporting originating from within Gaza,” Moawad stated to the BBC.

the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented at least 19 journalists and media workers killed in the conflict since October 7, 2023, with the majority Palestinian. The association is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the Al Jazeera journalists and has called for a transparent and independent investigation.

The incident occurs amidst heightened scrutiny of Israel’s targeting of journalists and media infrastructure in Gaza. Human rights organizations have raised concerns about potential violations of international humanitarian law, which protects journalists in conflict zones.