Israel’s actions in Gaza have drawn mounting condemnation as press freedom groups accuse it of pursuing a deliberate strategy to block the world from seeing the war’s reality by banning foreign journalists, killing Palestinian reporters and restricting independent access, thereby concealing the scale of killing, bombardment and starvation in the enclave.
The killing of prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike outside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has intensified allegations that journalists are being systematically targeted to suppress coverage.
Al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most recognisable journalists, died alongside fellow correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa when a missile struck their makeshift media tent late on Sunday.
The attack, which also killed two others, marked the first time during the war that Israel swiftly claimed responsibility for killing a journalist, alleging that Sharif was a Hamas commander. Al Jazeera and press freedom organisations dismissed the claim as unsubstantiated, noting that Israel has repeatedly labelled journalists as militants without providing credible evidence.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that more than 180 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza in less than two years of war, including at least 26 in targeted attacks it described as murders.
With Israel barring foreign reporters from freely entering Gaza and allowing only limited, escorted visits under military control, the work of local journalists has become the primary source of independent coverage, even as they face unprecedented danger.
Observers argue that the targeting of reporters, along with the bombing of media facilities and punitive measures against Israeli outlets critical of the government, forms part of a broader campaign to control the narrative of the war.
Press freedom advocates point to the combination of killings, restricted access, and the spread of allegations against journalists as an effort to intimidate those documenting civilian suffering, starvation and destruction.
The deaths of Sharif and his colleagues prompted widespread condemnation from international human rights bodies, foreign governments and media watchdogs, who called the strike a grave breach of international humanitarian law. They emphasised that journalists covering conflict are protected civilians under the Geneva Conventions and must be able to operate without fear of being targeted.
Friends and colleagues described Sharif as a determined reporter who continued working despite repeated threats and public accusations from Israeli officials, including claims that he staged reports on hunger in Gaza. Months before his death, the CPJ warned that such allegations constituted a death threat, noting that this was not the first time the journalist had been targeted.
Israel later released documents it claimed linked Sharif to Hamas, but the files ended in 2021 and did not address his high-profile reporting during the war. Similar dossiers produced after previous journalist killings have been criticised for containing contradictory or implausible claims, leading rights groups to question their credibility.
Despite international outrage, Israel has not explained the deaths of Sharif’s four colleagues, all considered protected civilians, raising fears that the risks to journalists in Gaza are escalating further.