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‘Do Not Forget Gaza’ — The Legacy of Anas Al-Sharif
A perspective from Chris Mayfield
When a genocide has been going on for almost two years, with scenes of horror beamed into our devices every day, it starts to seem almost like just a very unpleasant backdrop to our lives. Periodically, though, an event of undeniable magnitude breaks through. We saw this happen on Sunday night, August 10, when Israel assassinated six journalists as they rested in the press tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital.
Israel claimed as its main target 28-year-old Anas al-Sharif. Raised in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, al-Sharif became seen by millions throughout the Arabic-speaking world and beyond as the face and voice of Gaza. He refused to leave the north, even after his family home was bombed and his father killed.
For months, al-Sharif had reported receiving calls from Israeli military officers, ordering him to cease coverage and to leave northern Gaza. These threats escalated, and in July al-Sharif pleaded for support from his fellow journalists throughout the world. In response, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement saying it was gravely concerned for Al-Sharif’s safety, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Irene Khan, said Israel’s threats were “a blatant attempt to endanger his life and silence his reporting on the genocide in Gaza.”
Nevertheless, after Netanyahu and his cabinet announced their decision to escalate their attacks on the north, an Israeli drone hit the media tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital. This attack killed not only Anas Al-Sharif but the whole Al-Jazeera team in northern Gaza. These deaths put the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza so far at over 200–an astounding number compared to journalist deaths in other wars.
Israel immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and justified killing all six journalists by claiming that al-Sharif was their main target, asserting that he only posed as a journalist but was actually a Hamas military leader, though they presented no concrete or verifiable evidence of this assertion.
It is difficult to imagine how Anas al-Sharif could have found time for any military activity, given that he maintained a near-constant reporting schedule. Two hallmarks, to me, were his eloquence and his selflessness. Typically, he would begin by standing in front of a scene and explaining what was going on and why it was significant. Then, however, he would usually move to the side and allow the scene — and the people — to speak for themselves.
His last broadcast typified this approach. Al-Sharif took us to a children’s ward in a hospital, where parents were sitting quietly with their dangerously malnourished children. After al-Sharif’s introduction, the camera moved about the rooms, touching briefly on the emaciated bodies of the children. Al-Sharif then reappeared to summarize briefly the devastating effects of Israel’s siege, especially its limitations on baby formula and protein supplements.
Anas al-Sharif also documented scenes of intense joy. During the January ceasefire, when schools reopened for awhile, he recorded himself sitting on a street corner in Gaza City with his small daughter, Sham, waiting for her ride to a newly reopened kindergarten classroom. Sham is wearing her little pink school backpack, and both their faces are wreathed in smiles.
During this same period, Anas was filmed as he dramatically shed his protective press gear, and was then carried triumphantly on the shoulders of jubilant supporters. Tragically, this scene was reenacted in reverse this past week, as al-Sharif and his colleagues were carried to the graveyard, with their battered press helmets and jackets laid on top of their bodies.
After his death, Anas al-Sharif’s team released a “last will and testament “ that he had recorded back in April when Israeli threats on his life began to escalate: “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. 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 … Do not forget Gaza. And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.”
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
