The Al Jazeera news outlet described the deliberate killing of its journalists by Israel in the Gaza Strip as “a desperate attempt to silence voices ahead of the invasion of Gaza,” said an Anadolu report.
The Qatar-based outlet issued a statement following Israel’s direct targeting of a journalists’ tent near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which resulted in the deaths of five journalists, including Al Jazeera reporters Anas Al-Sharif and Mohamed Qraiqea.
“The responsibility for this attack lies entirely with the Israeli army and government,” said Al Jazeera.
The statement underlined that numerous Israeli officials have repeatedly incited and called for the targeting of Al-Sharif and his colleagues.
“Anas Al-Sharif was one of the bravest journalists documenting the starvation imposed by the occupying Israeli forces on the people of Gaza. Silencing voices as part of the Gaza invasion plan is a desperate attempt,” it added.
It highlighted that the assassination occurred in the midst of Israel’s 22-month- genocide campaign and shortly after the Israeli government announced its plan to occupy Gaza.
It also noted that Israel admitted the attack was a “deliberate and despicable act directly targeting the journalists’ tent.”
Calling it a new, overt and planned attack on media freedom, Al Jazeera stated: “The goal is to prevent the last remaining voices in Gaza from sharing the true tragedy with the world.”
“Telling the truth has become a threat in Israel’s eyes,” it said.
The statement underlined that the Israeli military’s justifications and claims are false and aimed at covering up their crime.
It also rejected Israel’s accusation that Al-Sharif was a “Hamas cell leader” and involved in planning rocket attacks on Israel.
It underscored that Al-Sharif had previously stated he had no political affiliations and was simply a journalist committed to reporting the truth objectively.
Condemning Israel’s threats and targeting of journalists, the statement said: “Telling the truth has become a threat in the eyes of Israel, especially in Gaza, where people are fighting hunger.”
It warned that Israel’s crimes going unpunished only encourage more massacres by the occupying force and stressed that the international community must act.
