The Israeli military said that, in an airstrike on Gaza City on the 10th, it targeted and killed a Hamas cell leader who was disguised as an Al Jazeera journalist. Al Jazeera condemned this claim.
According to Al Jazeera, four of its journalists were killed in an Israeli attack near the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Reuters reported that four Al Jazeera journalists and an assistant died after their tent was struck near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City; among them was Sherif. An official from the hospital said two others were also killed in the attack.
The Israeli military stated that Sherif was a Hamas cell leader “responsible for launching rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and Israel Defense Forces troops,” citing intelligence and documents found in Gaza as evidence.
Palestinian journalist groups and Al Jazeera condemned this killing. Previously, UN experts had warned that Sherif faced life-threatening danger because of his reporting in Gaza.
Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged the international community to protect Sherif. Sherif’s social media X account shows he had over 500,000 followers; minutes before his death, he posted that Israel had carried out more than two hours of intense bombardment of Gaza City.
Al Jazeera stated that Sherif was one of the bravest journalists in Gaza, describing this attack as a desperate attempt to silence voices in order to occupy Gaza.
Hamas said that this incident could signal the start of Israeli attacks, pointing out that intimidation of journalists paves the way for major crimes the occupiers plan to commit in Gaza City.