In July, the UN said it was deeply concerned about Anas al-Sharif, "the last surviving journalist from "Al Jazeera" in northern Gaza". Now he has been killed by the Israeli army, which accuses him of terrorism. What is the truth?
"If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice" - this is what is written in the last letter of the Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif.
He was broadcasting for the Qatari television "Al Jazeera" from the Gaza Strip. The letter was written in April and was to be published if Anas al-Sharif died, which happened on Sunday.
The 28-year-old journalist was killed in Israeli shelling along with four other colleagues working for "Al Jazeera" - reporter Mohamed Kreike, cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohamed Noufal and Moamen Alwa.
The journalists were in a tent near the "Al Shifa" hospital in Gaza City. Their murder was described by "Al Jazeera" as a "targeted attack", "a brazen and deliberate attack on freedom of expression.".
Israel accuses al-Sharif of terrorism
Israel not only admitted carrying out the deadly attack, but also announced it itself - something that rarely happens. In a statement, the Israeli army described Anas al-Sharif as a "terrorist who posed as an "Al Jazeera" journalist. He was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and was responsible for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers, the Israeli army said.
As evidence, it cited internal Hamas documents about al-Sharif. Both the allegations and the documents have been made public several times in recent months.
UN and journalist organizations: The allegations are not credible
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights wrote on Platform X that the military attack on the journalists' tent was "a grave violation of international humanitarian law". The German government made the same assessment and demanded explanations from Israel.
At the end of July, Irene Kahn, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression, stated: "I am deeply concerned by the Israeli army's constant threats and accusations against Anas al-Sharif, the last surviving Al Jazeera journalist in northern Gaza."
Also at the end of July, the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international non-governmental organization, issued a statement calling for "a smear campaign by the Israeli military." Al-Sharif was quoted as saying: "I live with the feeling that at any moment I could be bombed and become a martyr."
After his murder, the Committee to Protect Journalists said: "Israel's scheme to portray journalists as soldiers without providing reliable evidence raises serious questions about its intentions, as well as respect for media freedom. Journalists are civilians and should not be targeted". According to the organization, 186 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war.
In an interview with DW, Martin Roux of "Reporters Without Borders" spoke of "a smear campaign aimed at justifying the murder of a journalist." Al-Sharif was not only a well-known journalist for "Al Jazeera", but also a voice for the suffering Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Roux said. "His targeting with a campaign to discredit him and his assassination are another aspect of the media blockade that Israel has imposed", added Reporters Without Borders.
"Embedded journalism" instead of free reporting
Since the first days of the war, Israel has restricted access to foreign journalists to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has destroyed large parts of the coast and is planning to occupy Gaza City. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government says that the goal of the war remains the destruction of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. The terrorist group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Meanwhile, criticism of Israel for the way it is waging the war is growing abroad. According to UN data, the entire population of the Gaza Strip is threatened with starvation. Some human rights organizations, including Israeli ones, accuse the country's government of committing genocide in Gaza. This accusation is yet to be investigated by the International Criminal Court.
In June, in an open letter, more than 200 media outlets called for free access for journalists to the Gaza Strip. The footage and information disseminated by international media outlets is mostly from local journalists who cooperate with them. Israel consistently accuses Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip of lacking objectivity.
With few exceptions, Israel denies international journalists access to the Gaza Strip. Only under the so-called embedded journalism, when reporters are embedded in military structures, are they allowed to go to Gaza for a few hours. In this case, the journalists are under the control of the military and must obtain the approval of the military censor for the materials they film.
Israel Considers Suing "New York Times"
As a result, international media outlets are forced to use Palestinian reporters, organizations such as "Doctors Without Borders" and other groups, as well as contacts in Gaza to inform about what is happening there. And in doing so, they often attract the attention of the Israeli government.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu recently said that he was considering suing "The New York Times". In July, the American newspaper published a front-page photo of a starving child in the Gaza Strip. It was only after the publication that the editors learned that the child was also suffering from an illness. Netanyahu denies that Israel is deliberately causing famine in the territory, although a number of non-governmental organizations accuse the government of continuing to prevent sufficient aid from reaching Gaza.
Netanyahu said he had ordered the army to allow more foreign reporters into the Gaza Strip so that they could get an idea of \u200b\u200b"Israel's humanitarian efforts" but also of "civilian protests against Hamas". However, the prime minister did not explain whether this was about free access or "embedded journalism".