The killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif in an Israeli airstrike has drawn global outrage from journalists, rights groups, and public figures, including former adult film star and outspoken activist Mia Khalifa, who delivered a blistering rebuke of those staying silent.
Speaking on the news of Al Sharif’s death, Khalifa said she felt “frozen” when she heard the announcement. “There’s been so much documentation of him being tracked and threatened and now outright targeted by the IDF and it’s just really… it’s just really getting to me how dark things can get and how silent people can still be,” she said.
Khalifa then took aim at a “certain artist” whom she did not name, who recently claimed it was “not their place” to speak about the war in Gaza. “What bird behavior? And that’s what you are at the end of the day. If all you do is keep your head down and pick at bread, you’re a fucking bird. You’re complicit in your bird brain.”
The Strike That Killed One of Gaza’s Last Remaining Voices
Al Sharif, 28, was killed Sunday alongside four Al Jazeera colleagues and an assistant when an Israeli airstrike hit a tent near Al Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City. Two others also died in the blast, according to hospital officials. Local freelance journalist Mohammad Al-Khaldi was among the dead.
Israel’s military claims Al Sharif led a Hamas militant cell and was “responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians” allegations that both Al Jazeera and Al Sharif, before his death, denied. Israel has not disclosed evidence to support the claims.
Al Jazeera described Al Sharif as “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and called the attack a “desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza.” The network accused Israel of using “fabricated evidence” to smear its reporters as militants.
International Condemnation
The United Nations human rights office called the killing a “grave breach of international humanitarian law.” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said the “deliberate targeting of journalists by Israel in the Gaza Strip reveals how these crimes are beyond imagination.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “gravely concerned” about the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which had warned in July that Al Sharif’s life was in danger, accused Israel of failing to provide evidence for its allegations.
A Pulitzer-Winning Reporter Killed in Action
Al Sharif had previously been part of a Reuters team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. His X account had more than 500,000 followers, and he was posting live updates about the bombardment just minutes before his death.
The Gaza government media office says 238 journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023. The CPJ’s own tally stands at at least 186, making this the deadliest war for journalists in recorded history.
A pre-recorded message from Al Sharif was posted after his death:
“I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent.”
Funeral and Legacy
On Monday, mourners filled Sheikh Radwan Cemetery in central Gaza to bury the journalists. Friends, colleagues, and relatives embraced and wept over the loss of one of the region’s most prominent media voices.
Hamas condemned the killing as a prelude to a wider assault on Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously vowed to launch a new offensive against Hamas strongholds, amid warnings of a worsening hunger crisis after nearly two years of war.
