The European Union has condemned the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in an Israeli strike in Gaza, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said.
"The EU condemns the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in an [Israeli military] airstrike outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, including the Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif," she said after EU foreign ministers discussed the war in virtual talks.
The criticism from the EU comes after condemnations poured in from the United Nations and media rights groups as Palestinians mourned the journalists.
Dozens of Palestinians in Gaza stood amid bombed-out buildings in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to pay their respects to Mr Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent aged 28, and four of his colleagues killed in the Israeli attack yesterday.
The four other Al Jazeera employees were correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.
The Al Jazeera staff were killed when the strike hit a tent set up for journalists outside the main gate of Al-Shifa.
Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said a sixth journalist, freelance reporter Mohammed Al-Khaldi, was killed in the strike that targeted the Al Jazeera team.
Mourners including men wearing blue journalists' flak jackets carried their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds with their faces exposed, through narrow alleys to their graves.
Israel confirmed it had targeted Mr Sharif, whom it claimed was affiliated with Hamas, alleging he "posed as a journalist".
An Israeli military statement accused Mr Sharif, without evidence, of heading a Hamas "terrorist cell" and being "responsible for advancing rocket attacks" against Israelis.
Al Jazeera rejected the claim, and before his death Mr Sharif had also rejected claims by Israel that he was connected to Hamas.
According to local journalists who knew him, Mr Sharif had worked at the start of his career with a Hamas communication office, where his role was to publicise events organised by the group that has ruled Gaza since 2006.
Mr Sharif was one of Al Jazeera's most recognisable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports on the now 22-month-old war.
He was previously part of a Reuters team which in 2024 won a Pulitzer Prize in the category of Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Media freedom groups have condemned the Israeli strike on the journalists, which the UN human rights agency called a "grave breach of international humanitarian law".
A posthumous message, written by Mr Sharif in April in case of his death, was published online saying he had been silenced and urging people "not to forget Gaza".
In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for his protection following online posts by an Israeli military spokesman.
The group had accused Israel of a "pattern" of labelling journalists militants "without providing credible evidence", and said the military had levelled similar accusations against media workers in Gaza including Al Jazeera staff.
"International law is clear that active combatants are the only justified targets in a war setting," Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ's chief executive, said.
Unless Israel "can demonstrate that Anas al-Sharif was still an active combatant, then there is no justification for his killing", she said.
Al Jazeera called the attack "a desperate attempt to silence voices exposing the Israeli occupation", as it described Mr Sharif as "one of Gaza's bravest journalists".
The Qatari broadcaster also said the strike followed "repeated incitement" and calls by Israeli officials to target Mr Sharif and his colleagues.
In Ireland, the National Union of Journalists held protests at the Spire in Dublin and in Writer's Square in Belfast this evening to condemn the killings.
Reporters Without Borders said nearly 200 journalists have been killed in the war.
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Israel prevents international reporters from entering Gaza, except on occasional tightly controlled trips with the military.
The strike on the news team in Gaza City came days after the Israeli security cabinet had approved plans to send troops into the area, a decision met with mounting domestic and international criticism.
'Another calamity'
Yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu said the military will take over the remaining quarter or so of the territory not yet controlled by Israeli troops - including much of Gaza City and Al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated safe zone where huge numbers of Palestinians have sought refuge.
Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal under international law with any expansion of occupation similarly unlawful.
The plan, which Israeli media reported had triggered bitter disagreement between the government and military leadership, drew condemnation from protesters in Israel and numerous countries, including Israeli allies.
Notably, Germany, a major weapons supplier and staunch ally, announced the suspension of shipments of any arms that could be used in Gaza.
Australia said it would join a growing list of Western nations in recognising a Palestinian state.
Mr Netanyahu has remained defiant, telling journalists that "we will win the war, with or without the support of others".
The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have condemned the planned offensive, which UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca said "will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza".
UN agencies warned last month that famine was unfolding in the territory, with Israel severely restricting the entry of aid.
Israeli attacks have killed at least 61,499 Palestinians in the current stage of the war, according to the health ministry in Gaza, figures the United Nations says are reliable.
Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The director general of Reporters Without Borders said that the organisation has called for the protection of journalists but despite many international statements, nothing is happening.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One programme, Thibaut Bruttin said that the international community and IDF must acknowledge that journalists are also citizens and should be entitled to protection as such, and that they are also struggling to find food and water and have a daily life that is extremely exhausting in a warzone.
He pointed out that Mr Sharif was one of the trusted voices about what was going on in Gaza.
He added that the IDF did not have proof about him being connected to a Hamas unit, and questioned how would he have had time to be involved with Hamas when he was on air almost 24/7.
"It's a totally ridiculous accusation and very dangerous for a democratic army to make such claims," said Mr Bruttin.
He said that his organisation takes care to support journalists and try to investigate any such claims by the IDF, but in the past year, any claims about journalists being terrorists or being affiliated to Hamas have been totally preposterous.
"We can’t understand how they can continue lying bluntly," he added.
