Gaza city: The killing of six Palestinian journalists, including four from Al Jazeera, in an Israeli strike on Gaza City has sparked a wave of condemnation from governments, international organizations, and press freedom groups. Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the targeting of journalists in Gaza reveals the inability of the international community to stop this tragedy, adding prayers for Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqea, and their colleagues.
According to Anadolu Agency, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the attack as an assassination of Al Jazeera's entire Gaza team, carried out through a deliberate airstrike on their tent. He said Gazans are being massacred, starved, and targeted in Israeli-American food traps, urging immediate global action to halt the genocide and hold those responsible to account.
The UN human rights office condemned what it called a breach of international humanitarian law by the Israeli military, noting that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. It called on Israel to respect and protect all civilians, including journalists, and urged immediate, safe, and unhindered access to Gaza for media workers.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was appalled by the killings of al-Sharif, Qraiqea, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal. Gaza's Government Media Office said the strike targeted a journalists' tent near the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, killing four Al Jazeera staff and two others, and injuring several more. It accused Israel of committing a war crime aimed at silencing the truth and concealing evidence of genocide.
Al Jazeera Media Network denounced the killing as a deliberate assassination, blaming the Israeli army and government. It stressed that its Gaza correspondents had long been subjected to incitement by Israeli officials. The network described al-Sharif as one of Gaza's bravest journalists, whose killing was part of a campaign to silence the press.
In a will written days before his death, al-Sharif said he had dedicated his life to being a support and a voice for his people and urged the world not to remain silent over the massacre of Palestinians. He called on people to care for his family and to be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Sunday's attack brought the total number of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, to 238. Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its war on Gaza, where it has killed more than 61,400 people since October 2023. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.