Al Jazeera journalists held a solemn vigil at the network’s headquarters in Doha on Monday, mourning five of their colleagues killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza the previous night.
The victims, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif, reporter Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa, were reportedly targeted while sheltering in a tent in Gaza City.
Dozens of staff gathered inside Al Jazeera’s Arabic studio, displaying photos of the slain journalists and vowing to continue their coverage of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, now in its 22nd month.
Among those attending was Wael al-Dahdouh, the network’s Gaza bureau chief, who previously lost his wife and children to Israeli strikes. Also present was Fadi Al Wahidi, a cameraman who was left paralyzed after being shot in the neck while reporting in the territory.
“Every time we lose a colleague, we lose a part of this journalistic family,” al-Dahdouh told AFP. “Despite our solidarity and protests, the attacks persist in defiance of international law.”
Rejecting Israel’s Claims
The Israeli military confirmed the strike that killed al-Sharif, alleging he was a Hamas operative posing as a journalist—a claim strongly rejected by Al Jazeera.
Senior presenter Tamer Almisshal, who oversees Gaza coverage, dismissed the Israeli accusation as “baseless,” saying such claims often follow the deaths of Palestinian journalists. “Israel wants to silence the truth by killing those who report it,” he said.
Al-Sharif had previously been the subject of public threats and disinformation campaigns. In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged protection for him, accusing the Israeli military of targeting him online.
With foreign media largely unable to access Gaza, international outlets—including AFP—rely heavily on local Palestinian journalists for frontline reporting.
According to Reporters Without Borders, over 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began, including several from Al Jazeera.
Al-Dahdouh described the dire conditions facing journalists still working inside the besieged enclave. “They endure threats, fear, hunger, and displacement,” he said. “Some have become unrecognisable, having lost half their body weight—but their dedication to this mission keeps them going.”
