Death Toll from Israeli Strike on Al Jazeera Tent in Gaza Rises to Six

A deadly Israeli strike on Al Jazeera staff in Gaza also killed a Palestinian freelance journalist, the civil defence agency and a hospital director said Monday, bringing the death toll to six.  Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera said that five of its staff were killed in the Israeli strike on their tent outside the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Sunday, including prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif. The Israeli military confirmed it had targeted Sharif, whom it has repeatedly labelled a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas, saying he "posed as a journalist". "Photojournalist Mohammed Al-Khaldi succumbed to his wounds this morning, sustained in the air strike that targeted an Al Jazeera crew in front of Al-Shifa hospital," Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, told AFP.

Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa hospital on Monday confirmed Khaldi's death "due to his injuries." "With his death, the number of journalists martyred rises to six," he added. Khaldi was a freelance journalist and occasionally worked with local media. Almost 200 journalists have been killed in the war Israel launched in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 assault, according to press freedom campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RSF).