Read the final message sent by murdered Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif.

On Sunday night, the Israel Defense Forces bombed a journalists’ tent outside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The strike killed seven people, including Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.

Human Rights Watch denounced the “brazen targeted killing,” which it said underscored both the “unimaginable peril” faced by Palestinian journalists and the Israeli military’s “complete disregard for civilian life.” Amnesty International commented that Sunday night’s attack constitutes a “war crime,” while Al Jazeera condemned the killing as a “premeditated assassination” intended to “silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza.”

Over the past 24 hours, there has been an outpouring of mourning for Anas al-Sharif, perhaps the most recognizable Palestinian journalist working within the besieged enclave. Operating primarily in Gaza’s brutalized north, which he refused to leave despite direct threats to his life, al-Sharif was a near-constant on-air presence, providing invaluable footage and testimony through his daily reports. Many will remember watching a clip of al-Sharif removing his helmet and press jacket in a rare moment of celebration as he announced that a ceasefire had been achieved. “I can finally take off this helmet which has exhausted me all this time, and this armor which has become part of my body,” Sharif said, surrounded by a joyful crowd, who then hoisted him onto their shoulders in jubilation.

Less than two months later, however, Israel broke the ceasefire and the military smear campaign against al-Sharif intensified. The Committee to Protect Journalists warned less than three weeks ago that it was “gravely worried” about Sharif’s safety and called for the international community to protect him, saying he was being “targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign” that he believed would be “a precursor to his assassination.”

Al-Sharif himself knew what was coming. In his final message to the world, posted on his X account in the hours following his assassination, al-Sharif urged us all not to forget Gaza, and to be “bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland”:

 

This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.

First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Allah knows I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp. My hope was that Allah would extend my life so I could return with my family and loved ones to our original town of occupied Asqalan (Al-Majdal). But Allah’s will came first, and His decree is final.

I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification—so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half.

I entrust you with Palestine—the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world.

I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace. Their pure bodies were crushed under 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 restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland.

I entrust you to take care of my family. I entrust you with my beloved daughter Sham, the light of my eyes, whom I never got the chance to watch grow up as I had dreamed. I entrust you with my dear son Salah, whom I had wished to support and accompany through life until he grew strong enough to carry my burden and continue the mission.

I entrust you with my beloved mother, whose blessed prayers brought me to where I am, whose supplications were my fortress and whose light guided my path. I pray that Allah grants her strength and rewards her on my behalf with the best of rewards.

I also entrust you with my lifelong companion, my beloved wife, Umm Salah (Bayan), from whom the war separated me for many long days and months. Yet she remained faithful to our bond, steadfast as the trunk of an olive tree that does not bend—patient, trusting in Allah, and carrying the responsibility in my absence with all her strength and faith.

I urge you to stand by them, to be their support after Allah Almighty.

If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles. I testify before Allah that I am content with His decree, certain of meeting Him, and assured that what is with Allah is better and everlasting.

O Allah, accept me among the martyrs, forgive my past and future sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family. Forgive me if I have fallen short, and pray for me with mercy, for I kept my promise and never changed or betrayed it.

Do not forget Gaza. And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.

 

 

 

Anas al-Sharif was 28 years old when he was killed.
He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

 

*

At least 237 Palestinian journalists and media workers have now been killed by Israel since the assault on Gaza began 22 months ago. This exceeds the number of killed in WWI, WWII, the Vietnam War, the Yugoslav Wars, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, combined.

Despite these shocking figures, and the well-documented targeting of Gaza’s forth estate by the Israeli military, most prominent journalists in the United States have remained largely silent as their Palestinian peers have been systematically eradicated. In the wake of yet another targeted killing, American newspapers continue to print “Israel says that X journalist was, in fact, a terrorist,” despite nearly two years of Israel failing to substantiate these claims, while American news anchors continue to couch their reports in IDF talking points.

One wonders how many courageous Palestinian journalists might still be with us today had the Joe Kahns, the Emma Tuckers, and the Jake Tappers of this world decided that their lives were worthy of saving.