GAZA: Gazans gathered on Monday for the funeral of five Al Jazeera employees and a sixth reporter killed in an Israeli attack, with Israel alleging that one of them had links to Hamas. Dozens of mourners gathered among destroyed houses in the courtyard of Al Shifa hospital to honor Anas al Sharif, a well-known Al Jazeera reporter who died on Sunday at the age of 28, and four of his coworkers. According to Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al Shifa Hospital, a sixth journalist, Mohammed al Khaldi, who worked as a freelancer, was killed in the attack targeting the Al Jazeera crew.
Mourners dressed in blue journalist flak jackets carried their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds with their faces revealed, through narrow alleys to their final resting places. Israel admitted to targeting Sharif, who it claimed was connected with Hamas and posed as a journalist.
Al Jazeera said that its reporters were hurt in a tent erected for reporters near the main gate of a hospital in Gaza City. The four other workers murdered were Mohammad Qreiqeh, a correspondent, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. Sharif was one of the channel's most well-known individuals working on the ground in Gaza, delivering daily updates on the then 22-month conflict.
The UN human rights agency on Monday denounced Israel's intentional killing of six journalists in Gaza as a serious violation of international humanitarian law. The office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, reported on X that the Israeli army had targeted a tent holding five employees from Qatari media company Al Jazeera. Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists, Turk's office added, noting that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war started in the Palestinian territory in October 2023. We demand quick, safe, and unrestricted access to Gaza for all journalists, it stated.
Journalists (CPJ) pleaded for his safety in July, alleging that Israel has a history of branding journalists as terrorists without presenting compelling evidence. It stated that the Israeli military had made similar claims against other journalists in Gaza earlier in the war, including Al Jazeera employees.
Al Jazeera described the assault that killed Sharif as a desperate attempt to silence voices exposing the Israeli occupation, describing Sharif as one of Gaza's most courageous journalists. It also stated that it was responding to several Israeli officials and spokespeople' repeated incitement and calls for attacks on brave journalist Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues.
Reporters Without Borders estimates that almost 200 journalists have been killed in the conflict to date. Israel prohibits foreign reporters from entering Gaza, except for rare, carefully supervised visits with the army. The attack on the reporters occurred as criticism grew over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to broaden the battle in the Gaza Strip.
The security cabinet agreed last week to invade the last quarter or so of territory that Israeli forces do not control, which includes much of Gaza City and Al Mawasi, the region designated a safe zone by Israel where a large number of Palestinians have sought refuge.
Notably, the proposals prompted Germany, a significant weapons provider and strong ally, to halt shipments of any weaponry to Israel that might be used in Gaza. Australia said it will join a rising group of Western nations in recognising a Palestinian state. Despite diplomatic setbacks, Netanyahu remained resolute. We will win the fight, with or without help from others, he remarked to reporters on Sunday.
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have criticized the planned expansion. If these plans are carried out, they are expected to create another tragedy in Gaza, UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca warned the Security Council on Sunday.
UN organizations alerted last month that starvation was developing in the region, with Israel severely limiting the delivery of help. According to Gaza's health ministry, Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians, a figure the United Nations considers credible.
