Image Source: Agencies

Aug 12, 2025: On Sunday, Israel's military used an airstrike against an Al Jazeera correspondent, killing him and four other journalists in what press advocates called a brazen attack on those documenting the war. Officials at Shifa Hospital said those killed included Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qreiqeh. The incident marked the first time during the war that Israel’s military has swiftly claimed responsibility after a journalist was killed in a strike.
Since the war began, at least 242 journalists had been killed, according to a UN spokesperson. It came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused al-Sharif and some other journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The broadcaster called the strike a “targeted assassination” while press freedom groups denounced the rising death toll facing Palestinian journalists working in Gaza. In Gaza City, mourners laid the journalists to rest. Al Jazeera and al-Sharif have previously deemed unfounded Israel's claims that al-Sharif was the leader of a Hamas cell. On X, photos that appeared to show Al Sharif with Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, and other Hamas officials were posted by Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee. For the journalists' funeral, people gathered at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery in the heart of the Strip. Elsewhere, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added his country to a list moving toward recognition, along with France, Britain and Canada.
He stated that the decision made by his government aimed to accelerate progress toward a two-state solution, which he deemed to be the most effective means of bringing leadership other than Hamas to Gaza and ending violence. He stated that "the situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world's worst fears." “The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children.”
Earlier this month, New Zealand stated that it would consider its position regarding the recognition of a Palestinian state. French President Emmanuel Macron slammed Israel’s plans to step up its military operation as a disaster waiting to happen and proposed an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilise Gaza. According to Macron, the UN mission would be responsible for securing the Gaza Strip, safeguarding civilians, and assisting with unspecified governance. Back in Gaza, Hospital officials reported that at least 34 people were killed on Monday, not including journalists who were slain in a tent shortly before midnight. At least 12 aid seekers were killed by Israeli fire while attempting to reach distribution points or waiting for aid convoys.