Gaza City: A year after Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif was killed in Gaza, a vigil was held in Gaza City to mark the first anniversary of his death and that of five other journalists killed in the same Israeli airstrike.
The August 10, 2025, strike hit a tent used by journalists near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Al-Sharif, Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, photographers Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, and journalists Mo’men Aliwa and Mohammed Al-Khalidi were killed in the attack.
The anniversary has prompted tributes on social media, with journalists and activists sharing photographs and footage of the six reporters and highlighting their work during the war.
Journalist Osama Abu Rabie recalled the six journalists, saying Gaza lost six voices that day, all carrying cameras and using their words to convey what was happening to the world. He said that although they were gone, the legacy they left behind remained.
Al-Sharif’s frontline reporting
Al-Sharif devoted much of his work to reporting from northern Gaza from the early days of the war. His coverage brought accounts of Israeli bombardment, destruction, displacement, hunger and civilian casualties from some of the most dangerous areas of the Strip.
Minutes before his death, Al-Sharif published his final report on the intensifying bombardment of Gaza City.
“The bombing does not stop. For two hours now, the Israeli aggression against Gaza City has intensified,” he wrote.
He was killed shortly afterwards when the journalists’ tent was struck.
His final message
Before his death, Al-Sharif recorded a message urging people not to forget Gaza and to remain steadfast in supporting Palestine.
His words have continued to circulate online and have been recalled during commemorations marking the first anniversary of his death.
The Israeli military said Al-Sharif was affiliated with Hamas. Al Jazeera rejected the allegation and said he was targeted because of his journalism. His killing has also raised wider concerns among press freedom organisations over the safety of media workers covering the war.
Heavy toll on journalists
Journalists in Gaza have worked under extremely difficult conditions since the war began on October 7, 2023, reporting amid bombardment, displacement, shortages of essential supplies and continuing security threats.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 200 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war. The organisation has described the toll as unprecedented.
Despite the risks, journalists in Gaza continue to document the conflict and its impact on civilians.
