Gaza City felt the weight of another tragic day as a strike by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) hit a press tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital, killing four Al Jazeera correspondents 😢. Reporters Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal lost their lives.
Local Gaza civil defense teams—think of them as emergency responders—said the journalists' tent was directly targeted. A fifth victim was also found, but their identity remains unknown.
The IDF later released a statement claiming that Anas Al-Sharif was 'head of a terrorist cell in Hamas', accusing him of coordinating rocket attacks. They cited documents like training rosters and phone lists as proof.
Al Jazeera and Gaza-based analysts strongly reject these allegations. Muhammad Shehada, a writer and analyst on Gaza affairs, told Al Jazeera there's 'zero evidence' linking Al-Sharif to any hostilities.
Just before the strike, Al-Sharif posted a video on X showing Gaza's night sky lit up by bombardment 🌌. He wrote, 'Relentless bombardment… for two hours, the Israeli aggression has intensified on Gaza City.'
With media safety under the spotlight, this incident raises tough questions about press freedom and the risks journalists take to share frontline stories. For many watching from South Asia to Southeast Asia, it's a stark reminder of the high price of news in conflict zones.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
