On the first death anniversary of our colleague Anas al-Sharif, we pray for mercy for him and for all our slain colleagues from Al Jazeera Media Network and the journalistic community in the Gaza Strip. On a day like this, we can only recall Anas’s courage, boldness and dedication to the profession, to his work and to his mission.
We recall his steadfastness and his ability to withstand pressure in the most difficult and harshest circumstances, and to continue carrying out his work without hesitation from northern Gaza until he was killed in the Israeli air strike that targeted Al Jazeera’s tent in front of al-Shifa Hospital.
The attack was extremely costly for Al Jazeera and for the journalistic community in the Strip, because it led to the killing of five other journalists, including the courteous, creative, calm and brilliant Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh; Al Jazeera cameramen Mohammed Noufal and Ibrahim Zaher; and two journalists who were near the tent, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed al-Khalidi.
As we mark the first anniversary of their killings, we have to remember their deeds, virtues and qualities. We have to remember the extraordinary role they played alongside the rest of their colleagues in the Strip. We have to remember the new model they established in the world of journalism and media.
It is important to speak about this journalistic model they introduced, which was embodied in exceptional performance under exceptional circumstances. It redefined the concept of journalism and media in the modern era, and restored dignity to the profession and its noble humanitarian mission.
It is a model that emerged amid a genocidal war that was different from all those that preceded it in every respect. It began with the Israeli army closing the Gaza Strip, cutting off electricity and water completely, and halting the flow of food, medical treatment and humanitarian necessities for more than 2.4 million people, who were completely isolated from the world, besieged, and subjected to a barrage of bombs, rockets and shells. At the same time, Israeli forces prevented foreign journalists from reaching the Strip, which they continue to do to this day.
Journalists in the Strip were forced into displacement and homelessness along with the rest of Gaza’s residents. They had to flee their homes together with their families and they lost their offices, which were like second homes to them.
But the matter did not stop there. The occupation deliberately targeted the families of journalists, including my own family, which was displaced to a place we believed, according to what the Israeli army had announced, to be safe.
Then came the direct and deliberate attacks on journalists. They were targeted while working in the field, as happened with our colleague Ismail al-Ghoul; while they were in their work tents, as happened with Palestine Today journalist Ahmed Mansour, who was consumed by fire at night after his work shelter was hit; and even while they were in their homes, with their families, as happened to Mohammed Abu Hatab, correspondent for Palestine TV, only minutes after he had returned to his home in Khan Younis, leading to his killing along with 11 members of his family.