Martyr Anas Al-Sharif: When a Journalist Becomes the Story
"Coverage will continue and will not stop, God willing—no matter
the circumstances, no matter how great the dangers and threats… the image will
be delivered."
These
powerful, defiant words were the last written by Anas Al-Sharif, the
martyred voice and journalist of Al Jazeera, after receiving threats
from the Israeli occupation army to assassinate him if he did not halt his
reporting on the brutal war in Gaza.
Price of Truth in Palestine
Words
that lay bare the reality of Palestinian journalists, whose suffering is
inseparable from that of their people. They endure siege, war, displacement,
starvation, and homelessness—yet remain steadfast on their land, delivering
images of war and destruction to the world.
Yet,
in painful moments, they themselves become the story—reported by others on
television screens—as if they are the sole voice of a people silenced behind
walls of neglect and betrayal. And if they cannot change the bloody reality of
the Palestinian people, they can at least carry their suffering to the world,
sparking a wave of global popular empathy with their tragedies.
From
this, it becomes clear that the targeting of journalists by the Israeli
occupation forces is no coincidence, but rather a deliberate, calculated
crime—aimed at silencing their voices and concealing their atrocities against
the Palestinian people from the eyes of the world.
War Crime
The
direct targeting of journalists during wars constitutes a grave violation of
international law and a horrific war crime. Under international humanitarian
law, journalists are granted special protection similar to that of civilians,
as stipulated in Article (79) of Additional Protocol I to the Four Geneva
Conventions—which has attained the status of customary international law. The
article states: “Journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in
areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians within the meaning of
paragraph 1 of Article 50.”
The
deliberate killing of journalists is also considered a war crime under the
jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, in accordance with Article
(8) of the Rome Statute establishing the Court. It further constitutes an
arbitrary deprivation of life under Article (6) of the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, warranting full accountability for its
perpetrators.
Israel’s War on Gaza’s Voices
According
to the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation has
carried out a “systematic media genocide” against journalists and media
institutions since the beginning of its assault on Gaza. Since the war began,
237 journalists have been killed, 409 have been injured—some left with
permanent disabilities—and 48 journalists have been arrested, several of whom
were subjected to torture and degrading treatment.
The
statement added that 143 media institutions have been targeted, including 12
print newspapers, 23 online newspapers, 11 radio stations, and 4 satellite TV
channels. It also reported the destruction of the offices of 12 Arab and
international satellite channels, the demolition of 44 homes belonging to
journalists, and the killing of 21 media activists on social media platforms.
Systematic Targeting
“They’re taking revenge on us through our children… it’s alright,” — words spoken by Al
Jazeera correspondent in Gaza, Wael Al-Dahdouh, as he stood before the
bodies of his wife, children, and grandchildren, who were killed when the
Israeli occupation bombed his home.
Later,
Tsvi Yehezkel, Palestinian Affairs Editor at Israel’s Channel 13, confirmed
that the killing of Al-Dahdouh’s family was deliberate. He stated that the
family of Al Jazeera’s Gaza correspondent, Wael Al-Dahdouh, was a direct target
of the Israeli army’s bombing, stressing that the military forces knew exactly
what they were striking.
Systematic Erasure of Palestinian Media
The
Zionist enemy has directly and systematically targeted journalists and their
families to block the world from seeing the crimes and violations it commits
against the Palestinian people. This campaign seeks to silence the role of
Palestinian journalists in exposing international complicity in Israel’s
crimes, as well as in fueling global public opinion against Israel and eroding
sympathy for it—something the leaders of the occupying entity fear most.
The
plan to kill the word and silence the voice continued on Sunday, August 10,
when the journalists’ tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital was targeted. The massacre
claimed the lives of five journalists, most notably Al Jazeera reporters Anas
Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqah, along with photojournalists Ibrahim Zahir and
Moamen Al-Sharafi, and crew driver Mohammed Noufal. Journalist Mohammed Sobeh
was also injured in the attack.
Al-Sharif,
in his will—written earlier and entrusted to be published upon his
martyrdom—said:
"I urge you to hold fast to Palestine, the jewel in the crown of
the Muslim world, and the heartbeat of every free soul in this world. I urge
you to care for its people, and for its wronged little children who were not
granted the time to dream or live in safety and peace, for their pure bodies
were crushed beneath thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart
and scattered across the walls. I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor
borders confine you, and to be bridges toward the liberation of the land and
its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises upon our usurped
homeland."
Fascist entity
We
are facing a fascist entity committing acts of genocide against the Palestinian
people, with steadfast Gaza at its heart.
Foremost among these crimes are those the occupying entity carries out against
journalists, aiming to block their lenses from revealing the truth to the
world.
It exploits global complicity and Arab inaction—two factors that have played
the greatest role in emboldening “Israel” to persist in its horrific crimes
against the Palestinian people.
When One
Falls, Millions Rise
The martyrdom
of Al-Sharif and his companions will not silence the word of truth, nor
extinguish the longing for jihad in the heart of every Muslim.
Rather, every free and honorable person in this world will raise their voice to
be the voice of every steadfast Palestinian on his land in Gaza.
The journalist’s jihad with the word remains one of the greatest forms of
jihad, for at times, it goes beyond conveying the truth through a camera lens
to conveying it with his blood and the scattered fragments of his torn body.
If
one lens is absent one day, or if a voice is forcibly silenced, then the lenses
of the entire nation stand to capture the image in his place, and all our
voices will become the voice of every steadfast, patient fighter on his land.
_______________________________
Read
also:
·
· Resolute Amidst Media Suffering in Gaza: Al-Dahdouh Significant Journey
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