Germany demands Israeli explanation after journalists killed in Gaza

Germany has called on Israel to provide a clear and transparent explanation following the killing of Al Jazeera journalists in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.

The comments came after the Qatar-based broadcaster announced earlier that prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a tent for media workers in Gaza City.

The killing of media employees is "absolutely inadmissible" under international humanitarian law, said a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin on Monday.

"When such a killing occurs, as it has now, the party responsible must clearly and transparently explain why it was deemed necessary," he said, adding that this has not yet taken place.

The spokesman said that if Israel claims the strike targeted a specific individual, it must explain why a total of five people were killed.

The Israeli military confirmed al-Sharif’s death, alleging he had posed as a journalist while leading a Hamas "terrorist cell."

The German ministry stressed that journalists must be protected and said Israel must justify any removal of that protection.

"Israel is now expected, from our perspective, to explain itself in the most transparent and comprehensible manner possible," the spokesman added.

Authorities must ensure that reporters in Gaza can carry out their work "freely and safely."

According to Germany’s Foreign Ministry, 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war against Hamas in October 2023 — a figure it described as "absolutely unacceptable."

The German Journalists’ Association (DJV) also condemned the strike.

DJV chairman Mika Beuster said that even if al-Sharif had been a militant, that would not justify bombing a tent used by journalists.