The NewsGuild-CWA and National Writers Union join press freedom and human rights advocates around the world in condemning the killing of Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa, and their assistant Mohammed Noufal in a targeted attack in Gaza City.
Anas al-Sharif was one of Al Jazeera’s best-known reporters and one of several whom Israel had previously accused of being members of Hamas. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Al Jazeera said Israel’s claims were unfounded. Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ CEO, told the BBC that “the smears that were being disseminated about Anas al-Sharif… [were] likely a precursor to his assassination – and that’s exactly what we’ve seen today.” Most recently, Al-Sharif reported on the starvation that he and his colleagues were enduring due to Israel’s refusal to allow sufficient food aid into Gaza.
This most recent attack is not an isolated tragedy. It is part of a systematic campaign to silence the journalists documenting the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Since October 7, 2023, at least 186 journalists have been killed in Gaza. Targeting journalists is a war crime under international law. The International Federation of Journalists, CPJ and other press freedom groups have demanded accountability. We echo their call: there must be an independent investigation, and those responsible must be prosecuted.
“More journalists and media workers have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war than at any other point in recent years,” said NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss. “Journalists and media workers should be able to do their jobs safely to report to the world the news we need to know. Our job is to interrogate on behalf of the truth and to challenge those uncomfortable being held to account. Ethical journalism demands that we provide a voice to the voiceless and journalists strive to do that every day.”
“There are no words to describe our outrage over the murder of Anas Al-Sharif and his colleagues as the Israelis boast of their war crimes and genocide in Gaza,” said National Writers Union President Larry Goldbetter. “Journalists in the US are acutely aware of and sickened by these actions. NWU and the 140 unions of the IFJ from every corner of the world stand in total solidarity with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the people of Gaza. The international solidarity of media workers, and all workers, will prove stronger than the horrors we witness today.”
Journalists are being deliberately targeted to erase evidence and prevent accountability for war crimes. This is not just an attack on press freedom, it is an assault on the public’s right to know and to seek justice. We stand with the journalists of Gaza and those around the world who risk—and too often give—their lives to ensure the truth cannot be buried.
For media inquiries, contact: Dylan Manshack (dmanshack@cwa-union.org | 202-445-4033)