LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern on Tuesday for the safety of Gaza-based reporter Anas Al-Sharif following Israeli allegations that he was “covering up” the activities of “terrorists.”
The controversy arose after an Israeli military strike targeted a school in Gaza City over the weekend, which killed nearly 100 people, according to the local health ministry.
Al-Sharif, a reporter for Al Jazeera, covered the aftermath of the strike, and reported that the Israeli army had targeted the building while people were holding dawn prayers inside.
His colleague, Tamer Almisshal, praised Al-Sharif online, describing him and his fellow journalists as “knights of audio and video.”
In response, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee accused Al-Sharif of covering up alleged crimes committed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Adraee alleged that Al-Sharif knew the identities of several Hamas militants killed in the strike but chose to “present a lie.”
“Of course you’re proud of them,” Adraee responded on X. “He’s covering up the crimes of Hamas and (Islamic) Jihad taking shelter inside schools.
“I am convinced that he knows the names of a great number of the Hamas terrorists among those killed in the school. But he presents a lie, the motivation for which has nothing to do with the residents of Gaza.”
These accusations were condemned by the CPJ’s Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna, who stated that the organization was “deeply concerned” for Al-Sharif’s safety following the army’s claims.
“Al Jazeera journalists have been paying a devastating price for documenting the war. They and all journalists should be protected and allowed to work freely,” he added.
The allegations were also condemned by the Qatari network, which called the statement made by the Israeli military spokesperson as a “blatant act of intimidation and incitement against our colleague Anas Al-Sharif.”
“Such remarks are not only an attack on Anas’s character and integrity but also a clear attempt to stifle the truth and silence those who are courageously reporting from Gaza,” Al Jazeera added.
Al-Sharif has previously faced threats because of his reporting, and his father was killed in December by an Israeli airstrike that hit his family home in Jabalia.
The CPJ has documented the killing of at least seven journalists and media workers affiliated with Al Jazeera, which Israel has banned from operating inside the country since its latest war on Gaza.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the CPJ has documented the killing of at least 113 journalists and media workers, mostly Palestinians.
The situation highlights ongoing tensions between the Israeli government and international media.
On Monday, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer accused BBC presenter Mishal Husain and the network of displaying pro-Palestine bias during a heated exchange.
Mencer questioned the accuracy of casualty figures reported from Gaza, and sarcastically remarked that Husain deserved the “pro-Palestinian reporter of the year award.”
