Anas Jamal Al-Sharif was born on December 3, 1996, in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. He grew up amid Israel’s repeated wars, spending his childhood navigating the crowded alleyways of the camp.
He was educated in schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Ministry of Education. In 2014, he enrolled at Al-Aqsa University to study Radio and Television, graduating in 2018.
Al-Sharif began his media career as a volunteer with the Shamal Media Network before joining Al Jazeera as a correspondent in Gaza.
Based in Jabalia and Gaza City amid devastation and Israeli-made famine, he brought to the world’s attention unprecedented scenes: children crying from hunger at night, mothers searching through rubble for food, and school tents turned into shelters for thousands of displaced people enduring cold, insects, and disease.
To overcome the media blockade, Al-Sharif frequently climbed rooftops of homes and hospitals in search of an internet signal to broadcast his reports. In one broadcast, he described the dire situation: “What pains me most is not only the bombing, but seeing a child fall asleep crying from hunger after not finding a single meal all day.”
He documented the Israeli military’s repeated and deliberate targeting of UNRWA schools and hospitals, as well as densely populated civilian areas.
In recognition of his courage in documenting war crimes and his commitment to providing first-hand testimony of Palestinian civilians’ suffering amid bombardment and famine, Amnesty International Australia awarded him the “Human Rights Defender” prize last year.
Due to the impact of his reporting, the Israeli occupation forces included Al-Sharif among their media targets. Since the outbreak of the ongoing assault, they have repeatedly accused him of affiliation with Hamas in an attempt to justify targeting him, the claims he consistently denied.
On December 11, 2023, Israeli airstrikes hit Al-Sharif’s family home in Jabalia, killing his father.
In response to the campaign against him, Al-Sharif stated on social media: “The Israeli army spokesperson has launched a campaign of threats and incitement against me due to my work with Al Jazeera. I am a journalist without political affiliations, and my sole mission is to report the truth from the ground impartially.”
In July 2023, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Irene Khan, condemned the threats and accusations against Al-Sharif, warning that they placed his life at risk.
Khan criticised Israel’s labelling of journalists as “terrorists” as baseless and urged the international community to prevent such targeting, emphasising that the killing and detention of journalists is a tactic to suppress the truth.
At the end of July, 2025, Al Jazeera issued a statement condemning the Israeli military’s incitement against its journalists in Gaza, particularly against Al-Sharif, denouncing ongoing campaigns against its staff since the start of the assault.
Observers assert that a courageous and vocal journalist like Al-Sharif is intolerable to Israel, especially amid its preparations for a new phase of military operations in Gaza.
His assassination, alongside his colleagues, coincided with Israel’s plans to occupy Gaza City as part of a plan approved by the Israeli occupation last week.
Anas Sharif’s Final Will
‘If You Receive My Words, Know Israel Has Killed Me’:
On Sunday, August 11, 2025, the world lost Anas Sharif, a brave Palestinian journalist whose voice was silenced by an Israeli strike targeting the entire Al Jazeera crew in Gaza. After months of vicious incitement against him, Anas was brutally murdered.
Quds News Network obtained his final will, a deeply moving testament filled with love for his people, a plea to protect Palestine’s children, and a call to continue the fight for freedom and dignity. His words now echo louder than ever. We are reproducing Anas Sharif’s Final Will here:
“This is my will, and my final message.
If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.
First, peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings.
God knows that I gave all the effort and strength I had to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp. My hope was that God would extend my life so I could return with my family and loved ones to our original hometown, occupied Asqalan (al-Majdal). But God’s will came first, and His decree is carried out.
I lived pain in all its details. I tasted grief and loss many times. Yet I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without falsification or distortion. May God be a witness against those who remained silent, those who accepted our killing, those who suffocated our breaths, and those whose hearts were unmoved by the bodies of our children and women, and who did nothing to stop the massacre that has been inflicted on our people for more than a year and a half.
I urge you to hold on to Palestine, the jewel of the crown of Muslims, and the heartbeat of every free person in this world.
I urge you to care for its people, for its oppressed little children who were not given the chance to dream or live in safety and peace, whose pure bodies were crushed by thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart, their remains scattered across walls.
I urge you not to be silenced by chains or stopped by borders. Be bridges toward liberating the land and the people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland.
I urge you to care for my family.
I urge you to care for the apple of my eye, my beloved daughter Sham, whom life did not allow me to see grow up as I dreamed.
I urge you to care for my dear son Salah, whom I wished to stand beside until he grew strong, to carry my burden and continue the mission.
I urge you to care for my beloved mother, whose blessed prayers brought me to where I am. Her prayers were my fortress, her light my path. I ask God to comfort her heart and reward her greatly for me.
I urge you also to care for my life partner, my beloved wife, Umm Salah, Bayan, from whom the war separated me for long days and months. Yet she remained true to her promise, steadfast like the trunk of an olive tree that does not bend, patient and trusting in God, carrying the responsibility in my absence with strength and faith.
I urge you to gather around them and be their support after God Almighty.
If I die, I die firm in my principles. I bear witness before God that I am content with His decree, certain of meeting Him, and convinced that what is with God is better and everlasting.
O God, accept me among the martyrs. Forgive my past and future sins. Make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family.
Forgive me if I fell short, and pray for my mercy, for I have kept my promise and never changed nor betrayed it.
Do not forget Gaza…
And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.
Anas Jamal al-Sharif
06.04.2025
