Israel Assassinates Anas Al-Sharif and 5 Other Journalists in Targeted Strike

Read our editorial on Israel’s failing strategy of assassinations here, and why imperialists and their lackeys label their enemies as “terrorists” here.

On August 10, the Israeli occupation assassinated six Palestinian journalists in a targeted airstrike on the Al Jazeera media tent near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The martyrs included an entire Al Jazeera crew: correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qureiqaa, photojournalists Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa, assistant cameraman Mohammed Nofal, as well as Sahat News journalist Mohammed Al-Khalidi.

Their killings bring the number of Palestinian journalists murdered by the occupation since October 2023 up to nearly 270.

These men died serving the people. Through relentless reporting from the heart of the genocide, they amplified the struggles of the besieged, exposed the brutality of Zionist aggression, and helped awaken the conscience of millions internationally. For this, they became targets.

Anas Al-Sharif in particular drew the ire of the Zionist regime. Over the past two years, he emerged as one of Gaza’s most prominent journalists, unwavering in his commitment to documenting the resilience of his people. Despite repeated threats from Israel and the assassination of his father, he remained on the front lines. In his posthumously released will, he wrote: “If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles.”

Al-Sharif’s colleague and close friend, Mohammed Qureiqaa, was killed in the same courtyard where Israeli forces had murdered his mother a year earlier. His final broadcast came just minutes before the strike. Ibrahim Zaher captured the horrors of bombing raids by day and served as a paramedic by night. Moamen Aliwa left behind his engineering studies to document the destruction. Mohammed Nofal survived the deaths of his mother and brother, only for his father to bury him beside them. Mohammed Al-Khalidi used his signature irreverence to document everyday life under siege, reminding the world of Gaza’s enduring spirit.

In the aftermath of the strike, Zionist propaganda outlets began spinning a story that Al-Sharif was the “leader of a Hamas terrorist cell,” dismissing the others as “collateral damage.” The Zionist tactic of tacking on the term terrorist to justify their crimes is growing tired. Since the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, millions around the world have woken up to the depravity of Zionist terror and the heroism of the resistance forces who combat it.

Unable to achieve victory on the battlefield, the occupation turns its guns on those who document its crimes. As the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) declared, “truth is a direct enemy of the occupation.” But this assassination campaign will never succeed. As Al-Sharif himself vowed, “coverage will continue,” no matter how many journalists are martyred.

Despite Israel’s increasingly desperate and depraved attempts to salvage their image and suppress resistance, their actions only serve to mobilize fervent support for Palestinian liberation that stretches from the heart of Gaza across the entire world.

Photo: Anas Al-Sharif reporting from Gaza. Al Jazeera.

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Below, we republish Anas Al-Sharif’s will and final message, retrieved from Resistance News Network.

This is my will and my final message.

If these words have reached you, then know that “israel” has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.

First, may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.

Allah knows that I gave everything I had in effort and strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp. My hope was that Allah would extend my life until I could return, with my family and loved ones, to our original hometown of Asqalan (Al-Majdal), but Allah’s will came first, and His decree is carried out.

I have lived pain in all its details, and I have tasted suffering and loss many times. Despite this, I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without falsification or distortion, hoping that Allah would bear witness to those who stayed silent, to those who accepted our killing, and to those who suffocated our breaths; whose hearts were unmoved by the remains of our children and women, and who did not stop the massacre that our people have endured for more than a year and a half.

I urge you to hold fast to Palestine, the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, and the heartbeat of every free soul in this world.

I urge you to care for its people and its wronged, innocent children, who were not granted the time to dream and live in safety and peace.

Their pure bodies were crushed beneath thousands of tons of “israeli” bombs and missiles, torn apart, their limbs scattered on the walls.

I urge you: let no chains silence you, and let no borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland.

I urge you to treat my family well.

I urge you to care for the light of my eyes, my beloved daughter Sham, whom the days did not allow me to see grow as I had dreamed.

I urge you to care for my dear son Salah, for whom I wished to be a support and a companion in life until he grew strong enough to bear my burdens and carry on the mission.

I urge you to care for my beloved mother, whose blessed prayers brought me to where I am today, whose supplications were my fortress, and whose light was my guide.

I pray that Allah strengthens her heart and rewards her for me in the best of ways.

I also urge you to care for my lifelong companion, my beloved wife, umm Salah, Bayan. The war kept us apart for many days and months, yet she remained true to the covenant, steadfast like the trunk of an olive tree that does not bend, patient and steadfast, carrying the trust in my absence with all her strength and faith.

I urge you to stand by them, to be their support after Allah Almighty.

If I die, then I die firm upon the principle, and I bear witness before Allah that I am content with His decree, believing in meeting Him, and certain that what is with Allah is better and everlasting.

O Allah, accept me among the martyrs, forgive me my past and future sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family.

Forgive me if I fell short, and pray for me to have mercy, for I have upheld the covenant and did not change or alter it.

Do not forget Gaza…

And do not forget me from your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.

Anas Jamal Al-Sharif

06.04.2025

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