Last month, several entities expressed worry for al-Sharif's safety, calling for security layers in light of increased tensions. The IDF has come under criticism for not presenting evidence backing its claims that journalists killed in the conflict were combatants. This has allegedly become a recurring behaviour over the years, in which journalists who had already been killed were labelled as combatants, critics claim.
Previous incidents involving journalists
Israeli Strike Kills Al Jazeera And AP Journalists In Gaza; Network Vows To Hold The IDF Accountable, While Beholden US Media Parrot Their Lies" and "Gaza: A Visual Reckoning. Ismael Al-Ghoul was killed in an air strike on his car last August. Later, a video started circulating with his half-dead and gruesome body. A cameraman named Rami al-Rifi and a boy on a bicycle died in the same incident. Al-Ghoul was accused by the IDF of involvement in the 7 October 2023 attacks carried out under a Hamas banner, which were denied by the network.
Available figures indicate that 186 journalists have been killed since Israel launched a military offensive against the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
Gaza: Harsh conditions for journalists
As air strikes and a broader war rage on in Gaza, anyone still reporting there is subject to grave danger—and starvation. For some, food can be difficult to get hold of, and others have said they regularly go days without eating. Journalists are said to be fainting from exhaustion and hunger. More than 100 international aid groups and human rights organizations have issued a joint warning over the risk of mass starvation in the province.
Since Israel controls aid into Gaza, these groups have been accused by Israeli officials of being mouthpieces for Hamas. The new offensive followed the truck bomb attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed roughly 1,200 and hostage-taking of another 251. The Gaza Health Ministry has said at least 61,000 people have been wounded during the offensive, which began on July 8.
