Who was Anas al-Sharif, the Al Jazeera journalist killed by Israel in Gaza City?

Israeli forces on Sunday killed prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif alongside four others working for the Qatari network in Gaza City, in another deliberate attack on the press.

Over the past two years, al-Sharif rose to prominence for his extensive and tireless reporting from the frontlines amid the deadly war in Gaza. He was frequently seen wearing a press vest and helmet with a microphone in hand, delivering news from the war-hit enclave’s north.

Dubbed one of the "voices" of Gaza, al-Sharif famously refused to evacuate from the heavily shelled northern Gaza despite Israeli evacuation orders, and continued to deliver news despite threats to life, dire conditions and lack of safety.

Last year, al-Sharif vowed to continue his coverage "until his last breath", despite the tragic circumstances faced by journalists and lack of international action to end the devastating war, which has now killed over 61,000 Palestinians.

The 28-year-old was killed alongside four other Al Jazeera journalists including correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, in a targeted strike on a tent near the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in eastern Gaza City. The attack has been decried globally by rights groups and journalists.

An assistant and two others were killed during the strike, the network and Gaza officials said.

Al-Sharif is survived by his wife Bayan, and their two children, daughter Sham and son Salah. Funeral processions for the journalist took place soon after his death on Sunday, social media footage showed.

In December 2023, al-Sharif’s father was killed during an airstrike on their family home in Jabalia. Throughout the war and before his death, al-Sharif also lost several colleagues due to Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists, including cameraman Ismail al-Ghoul.

The son of Jabalia

Al-Sharif was subjected to Israeli smears throughout the course of the war, which Israel has used to justify his killing. Tel Aviv had frequently accused him of being a "Hamas operative" without any evidence, threatening him with phone calls and social media campaigns.

Both Al Jazeera and al-Sharif vehemently rejected such claims, while advocacy groups such as The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the international community to protect him, calling the threats a precursor to assassination.

During the ceasefire announcement in Gaza in January this year, al-Sharif famously removed his protective gear as he reported on the truce on live television - drawing cheers from passers-by and residents. Locals hoisted al-Sharif on their shoulders in jubilation over the announcement, which went viral online.

Born in the Gaza Strip’s Jabalia refugee camp in 1996, al-Sharif had long aspired to become a journalist since his childhood. Images of a young al-Sharif have now resurfaced on social media showing him looking on as journalists reported during the Gaza war of 2008-2009.

Al-Sharif studied mass communications at Al-Aqsa University, specialising in radio and television. He began his career at Al-Shamal Media Network, before joining Al Jazeera.

He was also part of a Reuters team which in 2024 won a Pulitzer Prize in the category of Breaking News Photography for coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Pulitzer jurors called the images documenting the early days of Israel’s onslaught "raw and urgent", and praised journalists for risking their lives in order to document the happenings.

Qreiqeh, the other correspondent killed in Sunday’s attack, began his career with Al Jazeera during the onset of the Gaza war, and had previously worked with the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

He was detained by Israeli forces in early 2024 during the army’s mass arrest campaign in the enclave.

A native of Gaza City, Qreiqeh was a graduate of Journalism and Media at the Islamic University of Gaza. Like al-Sharif, Qreiqeh had lost relatives during the war, with both his brother and mother killed by Israel.

Zaher, a photographer with the network, had also worked as a volunteer paramedic with Gaza’s medical services.

Noufal and Aliwa were also dedicated photographers tirelessly covering the war.

Israel's killing of the five Al Jazeera journalists has now raised the total of media personnel killed during the war. The CPJ says a total of 186 have been killed, but the death toll is expected to be much higher. Since the outbreak of the war, Gaza has been labelled by press groups as the most dangerous place on earth for journalists since 1992.

'Do not forget Gaza'

Following his death, a posthumous message in both English and Arabic was published on al-Sharif’s X account.

The message read: "This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

Allah knows I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp. My hope was that Allah would extend my life so I could return with my family and loved ones to our original town of occupied Asqalan (Al-Majdal). But Allah’s will came first, and His decree is final."

In his message, al-Sharif spoke of the war, urged the international community to protect his family and made pleas to God to accept his martyrdom.

He continued: "I entrust you with Palestine—the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace.

Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance."

Al-Sharif had also tweeted an hour prior to his death on the intensification of Israel’s attacks on Gaza City.

Following the attack, Al Jazeera released a statement condemning "in the strongest terms the targeted assassination" of its correspondents and photographers, decrying "yet another blatant and premediated attack on press freedom".

"Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people".