*UN Condemns Killing
THE funerals of six Al Jazeera journalists, including Correspondent, Anas al-Sharif, killed in targeted missile strike by Israel on their tent in Gaza City, on Sunday, August 10, were held on Monday, August 11.
al-Sharif and fellow Al Jazeera Correspondent, Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, were buried Monday.
Mohammad al-Khaldi was named by medics at al-Shifa hospital as the sixth journalist killed during the strike.
Reuters reported that two others were killed, including a freelance journalist.
The Israeli military has suggested it has documents found in Gaza that confirmed al-Sharif belonged to Hamas, including “personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, phone directories and salary documents.”
The only materials that have been released for publication are screenshots of spreadsheets apparently listing Hamas operatives from the northern Gaza Strip, noting injuries to Hamas operatives and a section of what is said to be a phone directory for the armed group’s East Jabalia battalion.
These documents could not be independently verified.
No Israeli explanation has so far been given for the killing of the entire Al Jazeera news crew, and the government does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report freely, so many outlets rely on Gaza-based reporters for coverage.
Israel’s military insisted it targeted Sharif, alleging he had “served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas,” something Sharif denied.
Israel provided little evidence, but the BBC learned that Sharif worked for a Hamas media team in Gaza before the current conflict.
In some social media posts before his death, the journalist was heard criticising Hamas.
Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) human rights office has condemned the killing, calling it a “grave breach” of international law.
Media rights groups and countries, including Qatar, also condemned the attack.
Spokesman of United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said the UK Government was “gravely concerned” and called for an independent investigation.
Speaking to reporters, Starmer’s official spokesman said Israel should ensure journalists can work safely and report without fear.
Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom group, strongly condemned what it called the assassination of Sharif.
The Foreign Press Association said it was outraged by the targeted killing, recalling that the Israeli military had repeatedly labelled Palestinian journalists “as militants, often without verifiable evidence.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was appalled by the attack and that Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations against Sharif, noting: “Israel has a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof.”
CPJ said at least 186 journalists have been killed since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in October 2023, the deadliest period for journalists since it began recording such data in 1992.
“Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists.
“We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists,” the UN Human Rights office said in a post on X.
Last month, the BBC and three other news agencies- Reuters, AP and AFP- issued a joint statement, expressing “desperate concern” for journalists in the Gaza Strip, who they said are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families.
