Al-Sharif covering release of Israeli hostage Agam Berger
The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, affiliated with Hezbollah, ran the headline: “Al Jazeera — without reporters in Gaza. Anas al-Sharif is a martyr.” The paper accused Israel of “justifying its crimes against journalists” by reporting al-Sharif was a Hamas commander. Witnesses told Arab media he received a phone call moments before the strike hit.
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Al-Sharif on October 7 next to IDF tank taken over by terrorists
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF said in a statement that al-Sharif was a Hamas terrorist who posed as a journalist, serving as a cell commander in the rocket unit of Hamas’s East Jabaliya Battalion. “Anas al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the statement read.
He was one of the most prominent media figures in Gaza and the highest-ranking Al Jazeera journalist there. His home was previously struck during the war, killing his father. In October, the IDF released Hamas personnel records showing al-Sharif’s role as a terrorist.
