**Four Al Jazeera Journalists Perish in Israeli Airstrike Near Al-Shifa Hospital**

**Four journalists from Al Jazeera were killed during an Israeli airstrike, escalating tensions and drawing condemnation from media organizations.**

Four journalists from Al Jazeera lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, as reported by the network. The victims, including correspondent Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, were situated in a journalists' tent at the hospital when the attack occurred. Al Jazeera has vocally condemned the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), previously labeling their actions as a systematic "campaign of incitement" against reporters in the region.

Shortly following the strike, the IDF acknowledged the targeting of Anas al-Sharif, claiming he was a leader in a Hamas terror cell. The identities of the other journalists have not been mentioned by the IDF. Reporting from the frontlines just before the attack, al-Sharif expressed alarming updates about the escalating bombardment in Gaza City. A post that emerged after his reported death was apparently made by a friend sharing pre-drafted content.

Graphic footage confirmed by BBC Verify shows individuals retrieving the bodies of the deceased journalists, with witnesses shouting out the names of al-Sharif and Qreiqeh. In July, Al Jazeera's Media Network decried the IDF’s ongoing campaign targeting its reporters, viewing it as a dangerous move to rationalize the harmful actions against journalists in the field.

The IDF contended that al-Sharif was masquerading as a journalist to orchestrate attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel. They claimed to have previously presented intelligence suggesting his ties to militant activities, supporting their decision to strike. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 186 journalists have been confirmed dead since the outbreak of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza that began in October 2023.