Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has condemned what he called the “outrageous impunity” of the Israeli government following the death of six journalists in a targeted airstrike near Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The attack, confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), killed five members of the Al Jazeera news network and one reporter from the Palestinian outlet Sahat.

Among the victims was Anas Al Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent whose reporting had become one of the few remaining windows into the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The journalists were inside a clearly marked press tent at the hospital’s entrance when the strike occurred.

In a statement posted on X, Díaz-Canel wrote: “Israel, in its massacre against the Palestinian people, murdered a team of Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, adding to the more than 200 media workers killed there.”
He extended condolences to the victims’ families and denounced what he described as U.S.-backed impunity.

The IDF acknowledged the strike, claiming Al Sharif was affiliated with Hamas and led a “terrorist cell,” though the evidence presented has not been independently verified. The other journalists killed—Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Noufal—were not mentioned in the IDF’s statement.

The attack has sparked widespread condemnation. Al Jazeera called it a “deliberate assassination” and a “flagrant attack on press freedom.” The United Nations Office for Human Rights labeled the incident a “grave violation of international humanitarian law,” and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the UN Security Council to convene urgently.

According to Gaza’s government, at least 238 journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of the war in October 2023. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had previously warned that Al Sharif was being targeted in a military smear campaign, which it feared could precede his assassination.

The strike came days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a new military plan to extend control over the entire Gaza Strip, including the establishment of a security perimeter and the transfer of governance to a “non-Israeli civil administration.” The plan has drawn criticism from humanitarian organizations and foreign governments, who warn it could trigger mass displacement and deepen the humanitarian catastrophe.

In a final message posted shortly before his death, Al Sharif wrote:

“I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people… I never hesitated to transmit the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification.”

The deaths of these journalists underscore the growing risks faced by media workers in Gaza, where international press access remains severely restricted. As calls mount for accountability and protection of journalists, the incident has reignited debate over the role of media in conflict zones and the responsibilities of occupying powers under international law.

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