Anas Al Sharif: The voice of truth that will never be silenced

CAIRO – 15 August 2025: For almost two years since the outbreak of the Israeli genocidal war on the more than 2 million people in the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestinian journalist Anas Al Sharif (29 years old) never slowed down for a second in documenting the atrocities of the Israeli occupying forces—until he, along with four of his colleagues, was killed in a tent near Al Shifa Hospital in the enclave on August 10, 2025.

"This is my final will and message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice," Al Sharif said in his will, attributed to him and dated April 6, 2025. "I lived the pain in all its details, and I tasted the pain and loss repeatedly. Despite this, I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without falsification or distortion…”

However, Anas’ voice will still be heard worldwide, as the administrative team of his social media accounts pledged to follow in his footsteps. “Starting today, his platforms will be the voice of every hungry child, every grieving mother, and every patient, struggling father—the voice of Gaza resisting extermination, injustice, and betrayal,” his team said in a statement on August 13.

“Anas Al Sharif's voice will not be silenced. His message and words will be shared from Gaza to the world,” the statement added.

In the Footsteps of the Martyr Anas Al-Sharif

In loyalty to the promise we made to him, in honor of his memory, and to counter all efforts to silence his voice and erase his image, the administrators of Anas Al-Sharif's social media pages extend an invitation to activists,… pic.twitter.com/16qcufjTSz

— أنس الشريفAnas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) August 14, 2025

Anas Al Sharif was a Palestinian journalist born on December 3, 1996, in Jabalia Camp in the Gaza Strip. He worked as a correspondent for Al Jazeera Media Network during the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip that began on October 7, 2023. He had a daughter and a son, who was born during the war. Al Sharif was educated at UNRWA schools and the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education. He obtained a BA in Radio and Television from the Department of Journalism and Media at Al-Aqsa University.

In his coverage, Anas sought to document the Israeli occupation’s genocidal atrocities, including the shelling of Palestinian civilians, targeting of children and women, burning of innocent people and children alive, and the deliberate, systematic starvation policy used as a weapon against Palestinians. His coverage made the Israeli occupation forces annoyed, as it revealed the reality of their barbaric behavior and crimes. That is why Israel launched a smear campaign against Al Sharif a few days before his assassination.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, on July 24, 2025, issued an international call for protecting Al Sharif and warned of his potential assassination after Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee allegedly accused Al Sharif of being a Hamas member. “This is not the first time Al Sharif has been targeted by the Israeli military, but the danger to his life is now acute. Israel has killed at least six Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza during this war. These latest unfounded accusations represent an effort to manufacture consent to kill Al Sharif,” CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said in a statement.

Previously, in November 2023, Al Sharif revealed that he had received threats and WhatsApp messages from Israeli officers, seeking to force him to cease his coverage of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. He confirmed that he would not leave the field and would continue to report from the northern Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported. In the same year, an Israeli airstrike targeted his house and killed his father.

The Hind Rajab Foundation announced that it had filed a lawsuit before the International Criminal Court against seven Israeli officers for the assassination of Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues.

Together with @pchrgaza , we have brought a complaint to the ICC against 7 Israeli officers for the assassination of Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues. For more detains watch this interview with #HindRajabFoundation Chairman Dyab @Aboujahjah .
Support our work here⬇️:… pic.twitter.com/PCgDtBFCVW

— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) August 13, 2025

The foundation clarified that six Israeli military commanders were responsible for the killing of Anas Al Sharif, including the commanders of the General Staff, the Air Force, and the Southern Command. The human rights organization explained that the list of those responsible also includes the commanders of Unit 8200 [an Israeli Intelligence Corps unit of the Israel Defense Forces], the Palmachim Air Base, and Avichay Adraee.

Before his assassination, Al Sharif had commented in a video on Adraee’s threats, saying: “This [man] is pushing me to stop covering and not to talk about the massacres they [Israeli forces] are committing against our people. Despite this, we will continue until our last breath—whether he threatens or bombs me.”

Even after Al Sharif had taken his last breath when assassinated, his social media platforms continued covering the Israeli war on the Strip. Also, his nephew, Musab Al Sharif, pledged to follow in Anas’s footsteps in coverage.

“As he confronted the Israeli genocidal war with his lens and his words, he didn’t care about threats or bombardment, believing that the message will not die as long as there is someone to tell it. And we, God willing, will remain faithful to the covenant, so that his [Anas’] voice may remain within us and the coverage may continue. Anas is alive... and his voice will remain,” said Musab Al Sharif on X.

ولأنه واجه حرب الإبادة الإسرائيلية بعدسته وكلمته، غير آبهٍ بتهديد أو قصف، مؤمنًا أن الرسالة لا تموت ما دام هناك من يرويها.
ونحن، بإذن الله، على العهد باقون، ليبقى صوته فينا، ولتبقى التغطية مستمرة.
أنس حيّ… وصوته باقٍ.

— Musab Al-Shareef مصعب الشريف(@MusabAlShareef0) August 14, 2025