Anas Al-Shareef: Gaza’s ‘Only Voice’ Killed By Israel Airstrike

While people around the world are condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza with “Enough is enough”, the world received more heartbreaking news: the death of Anas Al Shareef.

Anas Al Shareef, a 28-year-old Palestinian journalist and videographer for Al Jazeera Arabic, was killed on Sunday when an Israeli airstrike struck a media tent near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. He was inside the tent with several other journalists when the attack occurred. Five Al Jazeera journalists died, including Al-Shareef, according to Gaza officials and the network.

Al Shareef, a father of two, broke down on air while covering the starvation in Gaza brought on by Israel’s blockade.

Born in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, Al-Shareef’s life was shaped by violence and loss. After graduating from Al-Aqsa University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, specialising in radio and television, he began his career volunteering at the Al-Shamal Media Network before joining Al Jazeera as its north Gaza correspondent.

Since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, Al-Shareef became one of the most visible faces reporting from north Gaza. Despite repeated Israeli orders and direct threats to his life, he and his family refused to leave. He covered Gaza through airstrikes, massacres, and displacement, often working under extreme danger and chronic shortages of basic supplies.

Al Jazeera’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, told the BBC that Shareef was an accredited journalist who was “the only voice” for the world to know what was happening in the Gaza Strip.

In a final message, written on April 6, was released by his loved ones to Al-Shareef’s X account after his death. The reporter, in what he worded as his will and final message, said that if the following words reach the world, then know that Israel has succeeded in killing him and silencing his voice.

“I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland," he wrote.

Ending his message with, "Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance."

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Al-Shareef had received multiple phone calls from Israeli military officers in November 2023, instructing him to cease coverage and leave northern Gaza. Tragically, in December 2023, an Israeli airstrike targeted his family home in Jabalia, resulting in the death of his father, who was unable to evacuate due to poor health.

Last month, he expressed to the CPJ his fear of being “bombed and martyred at any moment” after an Israeli military spokesperson publicly accused him of being a member of Hamas. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, called out the “blatant assault on journalists” that this represented.

In early January, after a brief ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Al-Shareef drew attention during a live broadcast. He removed his body armour while surrounded by dozens of Gaza residents celebrating the temporary halt in hostilities.

In October 2024, the Israeli military released intelligence documents recovered from Gaza, alleging that Al-Shareef was not only a reporter but also an operative affiliated with Hamas’s military wing. According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), these documents included personnel lists, training records, and salary sheets.

They claim this shows Al-Shareef and several other Al Jazeera journalists were integrated into terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The IDF said the journalists played active roles in Hamas’s propaganda machinery, especially in northern Gaza, and that their presence at specific locations was linked to terrorist activities.

Israel, justifying the attack, said that a press pass did not shield Al-Shareef from military action. Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, said, “A terrorist with a camera is still a terrorist! I commend our security forces for eliminating the terrorist Anas Jamal Mahmoud al-Shareef, who operated under the guise of an Al Jazeera journalist.”

Since the conflict started in October 2023, Gaza’s Hamas-run government says 238 journalists have died. CPJ puts that number up to 186, at the least.

Hamas called the killing of Al-Shareef and his colleagues an “assassination”. It warned that it “paves the way for a major crime that the occupation is planning in Gaza City.”

At Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan Cemetery, friends and colleagues mourned Al-Shareef and the others who were lost. An Al Jazeera reporter said, “Anas was a brave voice amid this conflict. Losing him is a loss to journalism, and to everyone who counted on his reports to understand what’s really happening here.”

Al Jazeera has vowed to seek justice and continues reporting despite the dangers.

Outlook has been steadfast in documenting the ongoing Gaza crisis since October 7, 2023. In its January 11, 2024 issue, titled 'We Bear Witness', it offered in-depth reportage and personal reflections amid the height of Israel’s airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

The issue included a historical perspective by Iftikhar Gilani, who traced Jewish-Muslim relations through the centuries, reminding readers that prior to the 20th century, Muslim rulers often offered Jewish communities religious freedom and protection from Western hostilities.

Among the voices featured was Zainab Al Ghonaimy, a 70-year-old activist and lawyer, whose war diary vividly portrayed the brutal and inhumane conditions Gazans endure every day. Researcher, writer, and translator Yousef Aljamal shared the deeply personal stories of his mother and sister in Gaza is Our Home, highlighting the profound human impact of the political conflict.

Meanwhile, Zak, a Palestinian who worked near the Al Shati refugee camp, recounted his harrowing escape from the violence.

A year later, Outlook revisited Gaza in its January 11, 2025 issue, 'War and Peace'. This edition featured a powerful tribute to Motasem Dalloul, a journalist covering the genocide who tragically lost his wife and two sons to Israeli attacks in 2024. Dalloul had been preparing a report on life under siege for Outlook’s 2024 anniversary issue but was silenced before completing it. He wrote only two lines which were published in the issue.

“I lost my wife, two sons, sister, brother and 43 nieces and nephews, in addition to 13 cousins.

Today morning, I lost my elderly uncle Akram and four of his siblings in the Israeli bombing of his house, where 20 family members were wounded…”

In his absence, the magazine published a blank page symbolising both his unfinished story and the fragile existence of Gaza’s journalists and civilians.

Palestinian author Ali Abu Yaseem reflected on the trauma of war, noting that “In war, you will pass over the most important things unnoticed or without emotion, like talking about martyrs.”

In a poignant cross-continental exchange, Naveen Kishore, founder of the Indian independent publisher Seagull Books, and Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan shared their reflections on the human cost of war. Additionally, Shahina KK profiled Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, a symbol of Gaza’s resilience, exploring how enduring relentless violence shapes mental and physical well-being.

Through these narratives and reflections, Outlook continues to bear witness to the lives shattered by Israel’s war in Gaza and the enduring hope for peace.