Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera reporter, was killed in Gaza after being previously accused by Israeli authorities of affiliation with Hamas. Both the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Al Jazeera rejected these claims as baseless. CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg told the BBC, “the smears that were being disseminated about Anas al-Sharif… [were] likely a precursor to his assassination – and that’s exactly what we’ve seen today.” Before his death, Al-Sharif had reported on the starvation faced by journalists in Gaza due to restrictions on food aid.
This incident is part of a broader pattern. Since October 7, 2023, at least 186 journalists have lost their lives in Gaza. Press freedom organizations such as the International Federation of Journalists and CPJ have called for accountability and an independent investigation into these deaths.
“More journalists and media workers have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war than at any other point in recent years,” said NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss. “Journalists and media workers should be able to do their jobs safely to report to the world the news we need to know. Our job is to interrogate on behalf of the truth and to challenge those uncomfortable being held to account. Ethical journalism demands that we provide a voice to the voiceless and journalists strive to do that every day.”
National Writers Union President Larry Goldbetter stated, “There are no words to describe our outrage over the murder of Anas Al-Sharif and his colleagues as the Israelis boast of their war crimes and genocide in Gaza. Journalists in the US are acutely aware of and sickened by these actions. NWU and the 140 unions of the IFJ from every corner of the world stand in total solidarity with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the people of Gaza. The international solidarity of media workers, and all workers, will prove stronger than the horrors we witness today.”
The targeting of journalists has raised concerns among press freedom advocates who argue it threatens both journalistic independence and public access to information.
For further information, contact Dylan Manshack at [email protected] or 202-445-4033.
