Anas al-Sharif's killing part of Israel's 'systematic policy' to silence Gaza's media

The killing of Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and four other media personnel working with the Qatari broadcaster on Sunday has triggered a wave of anger and accusations that their killing was a deliberate attempt at silencing Palestinian voices.

This comes amid growing international concern over Israel’s reoccupation of Gaza City and starvation in the enclave.

Ramy Abdu, the director of the Euro-Med Human Rights Observer, told The New Arab that the incident reflects Israel’s "annoyance" that journalists in Gaza are reporting on the starvation crisis currently sweeping through the enclave, which both the premier and members of the Israeli cabinet have denied.

"This was clearly obvious in [his] conference yesterday, where he dedicated much of [his] time trying to mislead the international community and attacking the media, particularly Palestinian journalists and even international media who are trying to bring attention to the starvation [occurring]  in Gaza."The death toll in the enclave due to the hunger crisis and malnutrition, caused by Israel’s vicious siege, has risen to 217 as of Sunday. At least 100 children are among the victims.

The Euro-Med monitor called the killing part Israel's "systematic policy to obscure the truth and silence witnesses" coinciding with Netanyahu's Sunday conference where he spoke of Israel's intentions to reoccupy Gaza City, claiming it was the "best way to end the war".

Netanyahu said he would allow the entry of foreign journalists into the war-battered territory in order to "verify" ongoings in Gaza, adding that an order went out two days prior and is under "security consideration".

He said such journalists would see how Israel is "fighting Hamas," "feeding civilians" and "destroying Hamas infrastructure," despite an Israeli military and starvation campaign in Gaza which has been killing scores of Palestinian women, men and children every day since 7 October, 2023, with no end in sight to the war.

Abdu told TNA that Netanyahu’s plan concerning foreign journalists is nothing but a "strategy".

"If Netanyahu is honest, he should allow international press to freely access Gaza, which has not happened in more than 22 months of war, and I’m sure he will not do that. Maybe he will do some kind of controlled and managed visits for some journalists to show what he is wanting to show."

Abdu said the Israeli premier did the same when he invited "right-leaning, non-neutral journalists" to tour the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, dubbed as death traps for Palestinians as more than 1,000 have been killed at their aid collection points.

"Netanyahu is trying to mislead the international community, and they clearly have the intention to silence everyone, and they are working hard on that systemically."

Despite that, Abdu said that Israel has deliberately stifled Palestinian journalists’ reporting by killing them since October 2023, in a bid to conceal the truth and whitewash its atrocities in the enclave.

"From the beginning, Netanyahu and the Israeli government adopted a policy to silence every critic and to make sure to carry out their own crimes without any media coverage. This is why at the [start[, they shut down the internet and communication, then they targeted journalists systematically," he told TNA.

The journalists' killing on Sunday has brought the death of Palestinian journalists to at least 234. Israel began targeting Palestinian journalists and their families early on in the war.

Outpouring of grief for killed Al Jazeera crew

Israel’s killing of five Palestinian Al Jazeera journalists and photographers, including the prominent correspondent al-Sharif, correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and photographers Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, has drawn an outpouring of grief and condemnation from fellow journalists, politicians and pro-Palestinian figures.

The crew was killed by Israeli fire targeting their tent near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Medical Complex.

Soon after the incident, the Al-Jazeera issued a scathing statement decrying the killing. The Doha-based media company said it condemns in the strongest terms the targeted assassination of its correspondents and photographers, calling the attack "blatant and premeditated on press freedom".

"The order to assassinate Anas al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s bravest journalists, and his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza."

The network added: "Al Jazeera bids farewell to yet another group of its finest journalists, who boldly and courageously documented the plight of Gaza and its people since the onset of the war. Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people.

Despite losing several journalists to deliberate attacks and working under constant threat, Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and their colleagues persisted in the strip to ensure the world sees the harrowing truth experienced by Gaza’s populace."

Independent UK MP Jeremy Corbyn, who has long advocated for the Palestinian cause, called the killing of the journalists on Monday a "desperate attempt to silence the truth about Israel’s ongoing crimes against humanity".

He labelled the killing of Palestinian journalists "deliberate and relentless".

"Shame on all those who empowered Israel to murder with impunity," he added.

The National Union of Journalists trade union also lambasted the incident. Its general secretary urged the UK to "uphold international law and support an investigation by the International Criminal Court into the blatant targeting of journalists and media workers by Israeli forces".

"There must be immediate international action to end this obscene behaviour," Laura Davison said.

The Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, said their assassination is "part of Israel’s ongoing effort to silence the truth and carry out genocide in darkness".

International journalists weighed in, including veteran BBC broadcaster John Simpson, who said he was "deeply shocked" by the "deliberate killing" of the Al Jazeera crew.