Israel eliminated the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza for collaborating with Hamas.

In a recent airstrike in the city of Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the death of Anas al-Sharif, a well-known journalist from the Al Jazeera network, who was in fact a senior Hamas operative.

The attack, which took place near Shifa Hospital, also resulted in the deaths of at least three other members of the Al Jazeera team, leading to the complete elimination of the network's team in Gaza. All were part of the same terrorist cell affiliated with Hamas. 

According to the official statement from the Israeli military, al-Sharif was the leader of a terrorist cell belonging to the Nukhba elite force of Hamas, within the Jabalia East battalion.

Sharif planned and executed rocket attacks. 

Sharif was responsible for planning and executing rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians and Israeli forces. The Israeli military stated that it found documents during previous operations in Gaza, specifically in October, which unequivocally demonstrate his active participation in Hamas.

"The use of a journalistic identity to conceal terrorist activities is a serious violation of international law and a manipulation of the principle of civilian protection," the IDF statement said, which also added that these documents prove the infiltration of the terrorist group into international media such as Al Jazeera.

In response, Al Jazeera categorically rejected the accusations, wrongly alleging that Israel is deliberately targeting its employees and accusing it of criminalizing journalism. The Qatari network denied that its employee had any ties to Hamas and demanded an international investigation. 

Israel took measures to avoid civilian casualties. 

Meanwhile, Israel claimed to have taken extensive measures to avoid civilian casualties during the attack, including aerial surveillance, additional intelligence gathering, and the use of high-precision munitions.

In turn, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a new military offensive in Gaza will begin shortly and will be implemented swiftly, seeking to consolidate Israeli control over the city of Gaza, one of the urban centers most harassed by Hamas terrorists. 

These offensive operations focus especially on destroying the terrorist group's military infrastructure, including underground tunnels, arsenals, and command centers. The Israeli military claims to have eliminated hundreds of high-ranking fighters and significantly weakened Hamas's operational capacity in northern Gaza.