Al Jazeera Revises Death Toll in Israeli Strike, Confirms Four Staff Among Six Journalists Killed

Al Jazeera has clarified that four of its staff members and two freelance journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City last Sunday, correcting its earlier report which stated that five employees had died.

Initially, the Qatar-based network announced that correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa, were among the dead. However, a revised statement confirmed that Moamen Aliwa was a freelance cameraman, while the sixth victim, Mohammed al-Khalidi, was also a freelancer.

The strike, which targeted a journalists’ tent in northern Gaza, has drawn widespread condemnation from press freedom advocates and international media organisations.

Israel’s military acknowledged the attack, alleging that Al-Sharif—one of the network’s most recognisable reporters—was a “terrorist” posing as a journalist. Al Jazeera rejected the claims, describing the strike as a deliberate act following repeated threats against Al-Sharif and his colleagues.

With Gaza under blockade, many international outlets, including AFP, rely heavily on Palestinian reporters for on-the-ground coverage. According to Reporters Without Borders, more than 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, several of them working for Al Jazeera.