The Shattered Notebooks: Gaza Loses More Journalists in Targeted Strike, Deepening Media Crisis 

On August 11, 2025, an Israeli airstrike near Gaza City’s Shifa hospital killed Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qureiqa, along with four other journalists and two civilians, in what Al Jazeera condemned as a targeted assassination. Israel swiftly claimed responsibility, accusing al-Sharif of leading a Hamas cell — allegations both he and Al Jazeera had long rejected as baseless. The attack, which damaged the hospital’s emergency entrance, deepened the already dire risks for the few remaining reporters in Gaza, where foreign media access is heavily restricted. Press freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, have called this war the deadliest for journalists in modern history, with at least 186 killed.

Observers, including the UN’s Irene Khan, allege a deliberate strategy to silence the press and obstruct documentation of potential war crimes. The loss of al-Sharif, known for fearless reporting on starvation and human suffering, and Qureiqa, a dedicated father, leaves a critical void in bearing witness to Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe. Their deaths join a growing toll on Al Jazeera’s team, which has lost several correspondents since the war began. The tragedy underscores the escalating assault on truth in a conflict where the world’s understanding relies on those willing to risk — and lose — their lives to tell it.

The Shattered Notebooks: Gaza Loses More Journalists in Targeted Strike, Deepening Media Crisis 

The already perilous landscape for journalists in Gaza grew darker this week as an Israeli airstrike killed prominent Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qureiqa, along with at least four other journalists and two others, outside Gaza City’s Shifa hospital complex. The strike, which also damaged the hospital’s emergency entrance, represents a devastating blow to the few remaining voices documenting Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe and highlights the extreme dangers faced by the press in this conflict. 

The Attack and Immediate Aftermath: On Sunday, August 11th, 2025, Israeli forces targeted a tent sheltering journalists near the Shifa hospital complex. Hospital administrative director Rami Mohanna confirmed the deaths of al-Sharif, Qureiqa, four colleagues, and two other individuals. Palestinians gathered amidst the rubble on Monday to mourn, the journalists’ bodies laid out in white shrouds at the hospital they died beside. 

Israel’s Claim and Swift Responsibility: In an unusual move, Israel’s military swiftly claimed responsibility, specifically naming Anas al-Sharif. They described him as “the leader of a Hamas cell,” resurrecting allegations first made nearly a year ago. Both Al Jazeera and al-Sharif had consistently and vehemently denied these accusations as baseless smears. Al Jazeera condemned the strike as a “targeted assassination,” directly linking it to the Israeli military’s previous public incitement against al-Sharif. 

The Lost Voices: 

• Anas al-Sharif (28): Known for his courageous reporting from northern Gaza and later on the widespread starvation gripping the territory. He began reporting for Al Jazeera days after the war erupted. In a poignant pre-written social media post released after his death, he wrote, “I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification,” bidding farewell to his wife and children. Footage from a ceasefire earlier this year showed his heartbreaking reunion with children who initially didn’t recognize him. 

• Mohamed Qureiqa (33): A Gaza City native survived by two children. Like al-Sharif, he had endured months of separation from his family during the conflict. 

• A Heavy Toll: This strike adds to Al Jazeera’s devastating losses, including Ismail al-Ghoul, Rami al-Rifi, and Hossam Shabat – the latter also previously accused by Israel. Shabat was killed in March. 

The Crumbling Fourth Estate: This incident underscores the near-impossible conditions for reporting in Gaza: 

• Last Remaining Witnesses: Al Jazeera is one of the few major international networks still maintaining a significant reporting team inside Gaza, as most foreign media have been barred entry throughout the war. Their journalists are literally the world’s eyes and ears on the ground. 

• Deadliest Conflict for Journalists: Press freedom organizations consistently label this war the deadliest for journalists in modern history. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported at least 186 media worker deaths in Gaza by Sunday. Brown University’s Watson Institute declared it “quite simply, the worst ever conflict for reporters” back in April. 

• Pattern of Targeting Alleged: Ahed Ferwana of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate stated reporters are “deliberately targeted,” a sentiment echoed by U.N. Special Rapporteur Irene Khan. Just weeks before the strike, Khan asserted that journalist killings in Gaza were “part of a deliberate strategy of Israel to suppress the truth, obstruct the documentation of international crimes and bury any possibility of future accountability.” 

International Outcry and Unanswered Questions: The CPJ expressed outrage: “Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” stated regional director Sara Qudah. The lack of independently verifiable evidence supporting Israel’s claims against al-Sharif and others fuels deep skepticism and demands for transparent international investigation. 

The Human Void: Beyond the statistics, the deaths of al-Sharif and Qureiqa represent the silencing of dedicated professionals who chronicled unimaginable suffering – from the rubble of bombed neighborhoods to the anguish of starving families. Al-Sharif’s on-air tears as a woman collapsed from hunger behind him captured the visceral horror he documented daily. Their absence leaves a critical void in the global understanding of Gaza’s reality, a void filled only by the sound of falling bombs and the fading echoes of their final reports. 

The strike near Shifa hospital isn’t just another tragic entry in the war’s death toll; it’s a direct assault on the fundamental right to bear witness. As the world grapples with the conflicting narratives, the silenced voices of Anas al-Sharif, Mohamed Qureiqa, and their colleagues stand as a stark testament to the cost of truth in a landscape consumed by conflict. Their legacy is the undeniable proof they gathered, now carried forward only by those who dare to remember and demand accountability.