Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to Qatari television. The dead included two correspondents and three cameramen. The Israeli military confirmed it had targeted a senior Al Jazeera correspondent, alleging he headed a Hamas cell. Al Jazeera said this brought the total number of its journalists killed since the start of the war to 10.

The strike, carried out late Sunday in Gaza City, killed seven people in total, including at least four journalists from the network. Among them was correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, who had been reporting extensively from Gaza throughout the conflict. The Israeli army accused him of leading a Hamas cell that launched rocket attacks, citing documents it claimed proved his affiliation. Al-Sharif had repeatedly denied any political ties, insisting his only role was to report events from the ground. Also killed were journalist Mohammed Qreiqeh and photojournalists Ibrahim Al Thaher and Mohamed Nofal.

Al Jazeera condemned the attack, calling it an attempt to silence reporting ahead of a possible Israeli occupation of Gaza. The network said Al-Sharif was in a tent marked “Press” near the entrance to Al-Shifa Hospital when the strike occurred. Hospital director Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya confirmed the location and said the tent was used by journalists. Before his death, Al-Sharif had warned on social media that Gaza risked being reduced to “ruins” and its people “silenced.”

International concerns over Al-Sharif’s safety had been raised prior to the strike. In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists said they feared for his life, citing an Israeli military campaign accusing him of militant ties. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, dismissed the allegations as unfounded and said he was the last remaining Al Jazeera journalist in northern Gaza.

Following his death, colleagues shared a final message he had prepared for his family. In it, he urged care for his two young children and called for continued efforts toward “liberation” and “freedom” for Palestine. Hamas accused Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian journalists and renewed demands for foreign press access to Gaza. Israel has barred international reporters from entering the enclave without military escort since the war began, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced hours before the strike that foreign journalists could enter under IDF supervision.

Meanwhile, global support for Palestinian statehood continues to grow. Australia announced it will formally recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, joining countries such as France, Britain, and Canada, which have made similar commitments in recent months. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu defended Israel’s military strategy in Gaza, calling it the best route to end the war.

Three-quarters of UN member states now recognize or have pledged to recognize Palestine, according to an AFP tally. This includes 145 of the 193 members, with early recognition dating back to 1988 when Yasser Arafat declared an independent Palestinian state during the first intifada. Algeria was the first to recognize it, followed by much of the Arab world, India, Turkey, most of Africa, and several Eastern European nations.

Recognition surged again in 2010–2011, when South American countries, including Argentina and Brazil, backed Palestinian statehood after Israel resumed settlement construction in the West Bank. In 2011, Palestinians sought full UN membership but failed; however, UNESCO admitted them as full members. The following year, the UN General Assembly upgraded Palestine to “non-member observer state” status, and in 2015, the International Criminal Court granted it membership.

The Gaza war that began in 2023 has further strengthened diplomatic momentum. In 2024, Armenia and several Caribbean nations extended recognition, along with four European countries: Norway, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia. Bulgaria, Romania, and Poland recognized Palestine decades earlier, while some former Eastern Bloc states, such as Hungary and the Czech Republic, do not.

Australia’s announcement follows similar pledges by Canada and France, with Britain linking its decision to a Gaza ceasefire. Other nations, including Malta, Finland, and Portugal, may also follow. Recognition by major Western states marks a significant shift from the long-held position that Palestinian statehood should only result from peace negotiations with Israel.