US-Israel Talks Amid Gaza Journalist Killings Fury
Washington/Tel Aviv: Amid escalating tensions in Gaza, the United States has pursued discreet diplomatic engagements with Israel following the August 10, 2025, airstrike that resulted in the deaths of six Palestinian journalists, including five from Al Jazeera. This incident, labelled by critics as one of the most severe assaults on media personnel in contemporary times, has triggered widespread international backlash and calls for probes into potential violations of international law. The United Nations and many of the U.S. allies have been asking for an independent commission to investigate the killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, who number now at 247.
The Israeli airstrike struck a temporary press encampment near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, claiming the lives of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, 28, along with Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, Moamen Aliwa, and freelancer Mohammed al-Khaldi. Al-Sharif, renowned for his raw depictions of Gaza’s humanitarian woes—such as rampant starvation and malnutrition—boasted a massive online presence, with 1.6 million Instagram followers and over 562,000 on X. His last dispatches captured fierce bombardments, including footage of explosions nearby, while a posthumous note implored global audiences to keep Gaza in focus.
Israel’s military promptly owned the operation, alleging al-Sharif led a Hamas terrorist unit engaged in rocket assaults on Israel. On August 11, the IDF disclosed purported evidence, including documents indicating al-Sharif’s 2013 enlistment in Hamas’s military arm, his 2019 promotion to squad commander with ID 305342, undated photos alongside deceased Hamas figure Yahya Sinwar, and real-time intelligence. Al Jazeera dismissed these assertions as unfounded, decrying the strike as a premeditated effort to muzzle reporting on Gaza’s plight. The outlet, having lost 11 staff in the conflict since October 2023, insisted the journalists were visibly marked as press. Israel has been blocking foreign reporters from entering Gaza unless they are under Israeli military escort.
During an August 12 State Department session, Spokesperson Tammy Bruce voiced deep unease over civilian casualties, stating, “Our concern about the loss of any innocent life. We’ve made that clear.” She acknowledged the perils for conflict reporters, adding, “It is difficult for you – some of you are war reporters, and you go into those zones, and I respect that immensely.” Bruce sidestepped personal views on Israel’s justifications, directing queries to Israeli officials: “Israel has released evidence that Sharif was part of Hamas and was supportive of the Hamas attack on October 7th. They’re the ones who have the evidence.”
However, to the demand for an independent commission to enquire into the journalists’ killings, Bruce had a long explanation to offer: “To say that Israel every time has failed to do that is not true. We know that, again, this is a nation fighting a war with a terrorist group that have always used human shields, have used hospitals, have used schools, have – it’s been just the worst example of the barbarity of human beings, if you can call them that. It’s just – it’s been shocking. For Donald Trump to make the commitment to end this would be a tremendous gift to the entire world, as you know, and that is – that is our commitment. We also – we call on our ally and partner Israel to investigate these situations. I do it from this podium, and the United States does it. We expect investigations and we – for a sovereign nation to take – to engage in that, and then we’ll follow up when we see what those results are. But they do investigate. They’re – that is one of the things that unlike other dynamics in war, Israel has done that and they’re transparent about it. So, I would say that as we are working on all of this to stop, we encourage Israel always, and they do so as one of our, again, stalwart allies, and I think that their background proves that in fact – look, they were minding their own business on October 7th. They are constantly dealing with those kinds of attacks. This is a chance for everyone to be able to have a future that is different. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Bruce underscored Hamas’s tactics, remarking, “Hamas historically has had members who are embedded in society, including posing as journalists… They launch rockets from near hospitals. They have bases under hospitals, in schools.” She emphasised the Trump administration’s push to resolve the strife, noting Secretary Rubio’s “focused passion on getting things done” over seven months, aiming to “stop it, finally, once and for all.”
The briefing featured pointed inquiries reflecting the dire on-ground realities. An Al Jazeera journalist, highlighting the deaths of colleagues, questioned: “Are you comfortable with all the claims and excuses that Israel made to target those journalists… this will add to 238 journalists who died in Gaza in two years; 11 of them are my colleagues.” Another reporter termed it “one of the worst – if not the worst – single attack on journalists in modern history,” probing U.S. accountability given American-supplied arms: “has there been any internal process to look at what happened and to see whether it was within the laws of war?”
Bruce rebuffed speculative links to U.S. weaponry, affirming confidential internal reviews amid ongoing diplomacy to “stop that carnage.”
Funerals for the Al Jazeera team occurred on August 11 amid surging condemnations. The UN decried the “murder” as a possible war crime, with UNESCO deeming it “unacceptable.” Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)—which had flagged al-Sharif’s vulnerability from prior Israeli accusations—demanded transparency. CPJ tallies 186 journalist fatalities in Gaza since October 2023, while Gaza authorities report 242, marking 2024 as the bloodiest year for media workers, largely attributed to Israeli operations.
Protests erupted globally on August 12, 2025, including in San Diego, denouncing the killings. Rights advocates like Reporters Without Borders and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate urged justice. The strike aligns with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration of intensified Gaza actions and controlled foreign press entry via military oversight. UN figures warn of a looming “calamity” in Gaza City, exacerbated by restricted aid and persistent hostilities.
Qatar-Israel relations have soured further, with the incident amplifying strains over Al Jazeera‘s role. As U.S.-Israel dialogues persist privately, demands intensify for safeguarding journalists as protected civilians under humanitarian law, in a war that has devastated countless lives and stifled independent reporting from Gaza.
Meanwhile, 26 foreign ministers signed a joint statement calling on Israel to allow unrestricted access to Gaza. where thousands are on the precipice of dying, basically, of starvation. Bruce said, while the U.S. has been working from the beginning for a ceasefire and cares about the aid for the people of Gaza, “Hamas has been at war with the people of Gaza. We’ve seen that through their refusal to stop this war”. She added, “… nothing will ever be enough in a war zone”.
– global bihari bureau
