GAZA, THE JOURNALISTS’ SLAUGHTERING. 228 Killed by Netanyahu Regime in Palestine. Al Jazeera Tent “Deliberately” Bombed
in the cover immage the Al Jazira Anas Al Sharif
Targeted murder in Gaza: Israel and the war against the truth
by Piero Angelo De Ruvo
An Israeli shelling deliberately hit a press tent set up next to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, killing seven people. Among them, well-known Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, 28, along with colleagues Mohammed Qreiqeh (33), Ibrahim Zaher (25), Mohammed Noufal (29), Moamen Aliwa (23), al-Sharif’s nephew —aspiring journalist — and another freelancer according to local sources.
This was not a mistake: the IDF admitted to intentionally striking al-Sharif, calling him a “terrorist disguised as a journalist”.
A formula already used in other conflicts to delegitimize those who document massacres. Al-Jazeera and numerous press freedom and human rights organizations have rejected these accusations as evidence-free war propaganda.
Who was Anas al-Sharif
A tireless reporter, al-Sharif was one of the last remaining reporters in the Gaza Strip. Armed only with a camera and microphone, he recounted destruction, forced exoduses, children lifelessly pulled from the rubble. He lived under constant threat: intimidating phone calls, smear campaigns and informal lists of “targets” circulated by the Israeli army.
On April 6, 2025, he wrote words that today sound like a testament: “I entrust Palestine to you… I entrust to you its oppressed children… their bodies crushed by thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles…”.
“Israel targets journalists intentionally”. Gaza reporters share their stories with RT
In a message recorded shortly before his death, he said: “If those words reach you, know that Israel managed to kill me and silence my voice… Don’t forget Gaza… and don’t forget me in your sincere prayers.”
A lethal conflict for the media
According to the UN and Reporters Without Borders, over 220 journalists were killed in Gaza from 7 October 2023 to August 2025, up to 242 by some estimates. It is the deadliest conflict for the press in recent history.
Many were hit in clearly targeted attacks:
- Hossam Shabat –23, killed on 24 March 2025 in Beit Lahia; IDF declared him “deliberate target”.
- Yahya Sobeih – freelancer, killed on May 7, 2025, in Gaza City a few hours after the birth of his daughter.
- Hossam Saleh Al-Adlouni – photographer, killed with family on 13 July 2025 in Khan Yunis.
- Samer Abu Daqqa – Al-Jazeera video reporter, hit by drone on December 15, 2023, during coverage of an attack on a school-shelter.
- Adel Zorob – freelancer, killed on December 19, 2023 with over 22 civilians in a bombing raid on his home.
At the same time, other events testify to the vulnerability of journalists in war contexts or repressive regimes.
Gonzalo Lira, a Chilean American blogger and reporter critical of Kiev, died on January 12, 2024 in a Ukrainian prison after months of detention and alleged mistreatment, without adequate healthcare or consular assistance. The case drew harsh accusations against the Ukrainian government and the US administration.
The Italian Andrea “Andy” Rocchelli, a photojournalist, was also killed on 24 May 2014 in Donbass together with his colleague Andrei Mironov by mortar fire. Ukrainian officer Vitaly Markiv was initially convicted, but later finally acquitted.
These episodes, coupled with the dramatic toll in Gaza, highlight how journalism in conflict scenarios remains a very high-risk activity, often without real protections for those seeking to tell the truth.
Gaza, the systematic strategy against journalists
The killings and violence against journalists in Gaza do not appear as tragic isolated incidents, but as part of a systematic strategy. A common thread links numerous episodes: targeted attacks, precision shots, lives broken while documenting the reality on the field.
The first goal seems to be to stifle the truth. Prevent the collection of evidence, stop direct testimonies, erase the possibility of telling what is happening. Added to this are accusations of collusion with Hamas, promptly without verifiable documents: insinuations useful for discrediting, not demonstrating.
Internationally, the reaction is weak. Formal sentences are pronounced but rarely accompanied by concrete action. Silence, or rather inertia, thus becomes a silent accomplice of those who attack.
The human price is devastating reporters who lost their lives, families destroyed, houses razed to the ground. Recounting the war in Gaza means addressing not only the risks of conflict, but also a deliberate elimination mechanism. A strategy which, rather than affecting individuals, aims to erase the very possibility of knowing.
A war crime under European law
Deliberately hitting journalists in a theater of war violates the Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: it is a war crime. Yet, in Gaza, freedom of the press is systematically buried under the rubble.
Organizations such as the UN, RSF, Amnesty International and CPJ have denounced the attacks, but the absence of concrete actions fuels impunity.
The church also condemns crimes, Monsignor Moscone, known for his frank pastoral style and his attention to social issues, in one of his interventions combined his voice with that of other religious and activists who ask for a radical change of direction in the management of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, hoping for a peace based on mutual respect and the renunciation of violence. He highlighted how Israel and the West protect “genocide” and a “imperialism” against the Palestinians.
In a message to Benjamin Netanyahu, he called on the Israeli people to rebel against their government.
His words aroused both appreciation for his courage and criticism for the tones considered excessively political.
It’s not enough to be indignant
The assassination of Anas al-Sharif is not an isolated incident, but part of a systematic war against the right to know. By killing reporters, Israel attempts to lock down its narrative and erase any evidence of war crimes.
Whoever remains silent today will not be able to say tomorrow “we didn’t know”. Gaza doesn’t just need humanitarian aid: it needs eyes that see and voices that speak.
Anas al-Sharif gave his life for it. Forgetting him would mean killing him a second time — along with the truth he defended
Piero Angelo De Ruvo
Retired Italian Army NCO.. Former military unionist
RELATED TOPICS
