Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqea, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa have been killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike on Sunday.

The strike hit the outlet’s tent at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, killing them instantly.

However, the Israel Defense Force—IDF—in a statement via X claimed Anas Al-Sharif was “Hamas Terrorist, who posed as an Al Jazeera journalist”

IDF accused him of leading a rocket squad for Hamas’s East Jabalia Battalion, it further stated in a post

“Al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops.

“Intelligence and documents from Gaza, including rosters, terrorist training lists and salary records, prove he was a Hamas operative integrated into Al Jazeera.

 “A press badge isn’t a shield for terrorism,” IDF wrote on X.

Two weeks ago, UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan warned that Israeli threats and smear campaigns were “a blatant attempt to endanger [Al-Sharif’s] life and silence his reporting on the genocide in Gaza.”

In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was gravely concerned for his safety, warning he was being “targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign.”

Shortly before the strike, al-Sharif posted to X: “Non-stop bombing…For two hours now, the Israeli aggression has been intensifying on Gaza City.”