The president of the AEJ International has added his voice to a chorus of condemnation over a targeted Israeli attack on Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza.
On August 11. AEJ International president Arber Hitaj issued a statement echoing strong criticism of the Israeli attack from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute, the Foreign Press Association, and the U.N. Human Rights office, among others.
Even the UK prime minister’s office said the UK government was “gravely concerned” and called for an independent investigation.
The AEJ president’s statement says:
Today, our hearts are heavy as we mourn the tragic loss of Al Jazeera journalists—including respected correspondent Anas al-Sharif—killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Their deaths are not only a profound human tragedy, but also a chilling blow to press freedom and the safety of those who risk everything to report the truth.
We vehemently condemn this attack. Targeting journalists is an assault on the very foundations of free societies, and such actions must be investigated thoroughly. We demand an immediate, impartial, and transparent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Allegations accusing the journalists—particularly Anas al-Sharif—of militant involvement have been made by Israeli authorities. However, these claims remain unverified and have been widely challenged by Al Jazeera and respected press freedom organizations.
Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues were among the few remaining journalistic voices in Gaza. Their reporting shed light on the suffering of civilians amidst conflict, and their courageous work must not be silenced. We call on international bodies, media organizations, and governments to unite in defending press freedom and ensuring accountability.
Journalists are not targets—they are our window to the world’s truth.
In solidarity,
Arber Hitaj
President, Association of European Journalists
On 10 August 2025, an Israeli military air strike killed Anas al-Sharif, three other Al Jazeera colleagues as well as two others in a tent beside Gaza City’s al Shifa hospital.
Al Jazeera is one of a handful of independent news outlets still reporting from Gaza as Israel has barred international media from entering the territory so they have relied on local Palestinian journalists for coverage.
Anas al-Sharif has been one of the most prominent reporters inside Gaza with a large following on Al Jazeera news outlets and on social media, especially last month when he cried on air while covering starvation in Gaza.
He was part of a Reuters news agency team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2024 for breaking news photography.
The Israeli military – the IDF – admitted it targeted al-Sharif, claiming he had “served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas” and was posing as a journalist. Those claims have been widely dismissed – among others by Sharif himself, Al Jazeera and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The IDF have previously – a year ago – accused al-Sִharif of being a member of Hamas’ military wing. He was born in the northern Gaza Jabalia refugee camp and his father was killed in an Israeli strike on the family home in December 2023.
Less than a week before the Israeli attack, on August 4, hundreds of journalists, including many experienced war correspondents and photojournalists, and leading press freedom NGOs including the Association of European Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders issued a demand for immediate, unhindered foreign press access to Gaza, and respect for journalists’ protected status under international law to report from inside Gaza.
By August 12 there were more than 1000 signatures on the petition.
The Israeli airstrike occurred hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to widen his latest plan to occupy Gaza City, announced on Friday – al-Sharif’s Al Jazeera team was based in Gaza City.
And it came amidst growing international pressure on Netanyahu to stop killing and starving people in Gaza – the Netanyahu government has always denied trying to starve people in Gaza.
In recent weeks many of Israel’s traditional allies and defenders have sharpened their criticism with France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Australia all announcing moves towards recognising statehood for Palestine.
And Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands all calling for various measures against Israel.
Public opinion in many of these countries – and the United States – appears to be shifting against Israel.
In Israel itself a claimed 100,000 protesters turned out in Tel Aviv to oppose Netanyahu’s plan to escalate the war; opposition politicians and former prime ministers have called for some variation of a ceasfire as well as a plan to return the hostages held by Hamas; and the army’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir, is reported to have warned the prime minister that a full occupation of Gaza was “tantamount to walking into a trap” and would endanger the living hostages.
But despite such voices, majority public opinion inside Israel remains largely supportive of the war – and to a significant extent not troubled by Palestinians suffering in Gaza although that is deeply split between Jewish Israelis – four-fifths of the population – and the Arab Israeli minority.
The Netanyahu government has waged a consistent campaign claiming that Hamas, the United Nations, witnesses, aid workers, and foreign governments are telling lies about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He has for many years equated criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
And his political survival and consequent avoidance of a long-running trial on corruption charges depends on support from right-wing politicians representing Jewish settlers and the religious right who see the war as an opportunity for Israel to claim all the historical land they believe is rightfully theirs – all the land between the Mediterranean and the River Jordan.
All of these factors have played on a population that still worries about their very survival as a people and the survival of the Israeli state.
There have been pro-Palestinian protests in many countries over the past two years including the UK where the government recently “proscribed” the Palestine Action group as a “terrorist” organisation, making support for it a “terrorist” offence. On August 9, at least 532 people were arrested at a protest demonstration in central London, at least 522 for displaying a sign, placard, or something else to show support for Palestine Action – according to police data nearly half of them over the age of 60 including a hundred or so in their 70s or 80s.
A number of rights groups including Human Rights Watch, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Global Witness, and the Quakers have asked the attorney general to delay any prosecutions until the ban has been ruled legal.
The ban has been challenged and will be subject to a judicial review ordered by a High Court judge who allowed the legal challenge on the ground that he considered it “reasonably arguable that the proscription order amounts to a disproportionate interference” with rights guaranteed both by common law and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as well as “likely to have a significant deterrent effect on legitimate speech”.
Separately, the Liberal Democrats have written to the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, asking that he urgently examine the “troubling precedent” of using the Terrorism Act to arrest large numbers of people expressing support for Palestine Action.
Palestine Action is a direct action group that has largely targeted arms manufacturers since 2020 causing significant property damage.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper justified her ban on support for Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act.
The ban has been widely criticised by many human rights groups and legal experts for its chilling effect on free speech and protest;
the government’s motives and process for making the decision has been questioned;
and the current Terrorism Act (2000) itself is described by Amnesty Internaitonal as “a deeply flawed and overly broad definition of terrorism which human rights monitors including Amnesty International have been warning about for years. This latest disturbing move only serves to highlight that those warnings were justified.
“Terrorism legislation hands the authorities massive powers to arrest and detain people, suppress speech and reporting, conduct surveillance and take other measures that would never be permitted in other circumstances. Using them against a direct-action protest group is an egregious abuse of what they were created for.”
AEJ President statement on Israeli assassination
Israel targets and kills Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and others – AP
The Al Jazeera journalists killed in latest Gaza attack – Sky News
Anas al-Sharif – a tribute on Al Jazeera
Anas al-Sharif – The Guardian
RSF calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting
Committee to Protect Journalists call to protect Anas al-Sharif – July 24 2025
More than 1000 journalists petition for Gaza access
Freedom to Report petition for Gaza access
Journalists’ petition for Gaza access – Sky News
Journalists in Gaza – BBC Radio 4 The Media Show 14 August 2025
How alternative Israeli media cover Gaza – Reuters Institute
Israelis demonstrate agains Netanyahu plan to occupy Gaza – The Guardian
International pressure mounts on Israel – NBC News
Public opinion shifts on Israel – The Conversation
A deeply divided Israel – Jeremy Bowen BBC News
Battling the ban on Palestine Action – BBC News
Half of UK Palestine Action arrested protesters are older than 60 – The Guardian
UK poet and former royal adviser Sir Jonathon Porritt on being arrested for supporting Palestine Action – YouTube from BBC Newsnight August 11
“I was arrested” – Jonathon Porritt – the Independent
Rights groups call for suspension of prosecutions – 15 August 2025
High Court judge’s ruling for a judicial review of the proscription on Palestine Action – 30 July 2025
International Bar Association says proscription “a dangerous shift in the law” – 12 August 2025
Questions about how Palestine Action was banned – Declassified 24 July 2025
Yvettte Cooper defends ban – FT 17 August 2025
Ban on Palestine Action – what happens next? – The Conversation 15 August 2025
Using the Terrorism Act is “disturbing legal overreach” – Amnesty International 2 July 2025
