1: The Embassy of the State of Palestine on August 18 released a statement to the Republic of India over the "assassination" of Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Shareef.
2: The statement mentioned eight points, refuting Israel's claims that alleged al-Shareef was a "terrorist" and that “he was a head of a cell in the rocket brigade.”
It has been 10 days since Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Shareef was killed by an Israeli airstrike that struck a media tent near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Born in Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, Al-Shareef became one of the most prominent voices since the conflict began on October 7, 2023.
The 28-year-old father of two was a journalist and videographer for Al Jazeera Arabic was killed alongside five others working for the same media organization. He worked despite repeated Israeli orders and direct threats to his life, despite airstrikes bombarding his land, despite displacement and despite chronic shortages of basic supplies.
On August 18, the Embassy of the State of Palestine issued a position paper on his “assassination” to the Republic of India, presenting “the facts that dismantle Israel’s falsification of the global consensus”.
The embassy broke down into eight points Israel’s “worn out pretext” for killing Al-Shareef, claiming that he was a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas and that “he was a head of a cell in the rocket brigade.”
The embassy noted the U.S. Ambassador to Israel’s mention of a photo “where this alleged journalist is hanging the head of Hamas and smiling for the cameras”, questioning if this alone could serve as a death sentence.
Calling Al-shareef a visible voice who worked in plain sight of Israel’s military for 671 days, the Embassy of the State of Palestine pointed out that only now does Israel “discover” he was supposedly “a terrorist.”
It pointed out that if Israel's claim was true, this would mean they knowingly let an easily reachable “ripe fruit” roam free while putting their own citizens in danger.
Stating that five other journalists were killed in the tent alongside Al-shareef while the tent was attacked, the Embassy questioned, “Were the other five journalists used by Al-Shareef as “human shields” pretext Israel routinely uses to justify killing tens of thousands of women and children? Or should they simply be written off as “collateral damage”?”
It also alleged that according to the spokesmen of the "Zionist movement", Al-Shareef’s so-called “glorification” of the October 7 attack alone warrants a death sentence. The Embassy stated that by that reasoning, millions worldwide — across religions, including Jewish voices — “should line up to prepare their coffins”, since they too have expressed support or sympathy.
Furthermore, the Embassy pointed out that if shaking hands with an alleged “enemy” is grounds for assassination, then by that standard the former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair — who met Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal several times in recent years — should also be considered a target. The same logic would extend to members of the Orthodox Jewish group Neturei Karta, who visited Gaza and met with Hamas leaders on July 16, 2009. Yet the narrative shifts only when it comes to Palestinians. Al-Shareef and his colleagues are among 237 journalists deliberately targeted by Israel. Were all the other 236 also “terrorists”?
It also mentioned, thousands of Gazans who have relatives in Hamas, have greeted them, shook hands with them, traded with them, or even swam in the sea behind them would be marked for death. “By this logic, Gaza’s entire population is a “legitimate” target.”
The Embassy of the State of Palestine mentioned Israel’s ban on foreign media entering Gaza which has left the world with only two narratives: “Israel’s official version, or tightly stage-managed tours of the October 7 sites for foreign journalists. This narrative control is especially alarming given that Israel stands accused of genocide. Thousands of journalists and influencers are invited to view the October 7 sites, just 2.5 miles from Gaza’s ruins. If Israel is not committing war crimes, why not let those same visitors cross the fence and see the other side?”
Moreover, the Embassy claimed that with Israelis offering contradictory claims about the situation on the ground, the only credible path to the truth is independent media access to Gaza — access Israel still denies. “This was precisely Piers Morgan’s argument in recent months, when he asked: “Why should we believe you?””
The United Nations, Reporters Without Borders, the Foreign Press Association, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and major broadcasters including the BBC have all confirmed that Israel has provided no credible evidence to support its claims, the press release mentioned.
"In truth, the assassination of Anas Alsharif is not an isolated act, but part of a systematic war on truth, aimed at erasing the voices that dare to document the brutal reality Israel seeks to hide from the world."
