One year on, Gaza mourns journalist Anas al-Sharif’s death

On the first anniversary of the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in Gaza, Palestinians and press freedom advocates are remembering a journalist who became one of the defining voices of Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave. Born in 1996 in the Jabalia refugee camp, al-Sharif rose from a local cameraman to a widely recognized face across the Arab world through his relentless reports on the unrelenting Israeli bombardment of Gaza and its toll on civilians. He was killed in an Israeli air strike on a clearly marked press tent near Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital. The attack also killed Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Qreiqeh, cameraman Ibrahim Zaher and producer Mohammed Noufal, and drew condemnation from the United Nations and rights groups. The journalists’ killings have been cited as part of a broader pattern of targeting media workers in Gaza. In a will recorded before his killing, al-Sharif urged people not to forget Gaza and to remain steadfast in defending Palestine — words that continue to be shared widely online and echoed at memorials marking one year since his death.