Anas Al-Sharif, who was targeted in an Israeli strike, lauded Oct. 7 and posted photos with top Hamas leaders
The president of the Foreign Press Association said he doesn’t care if Al Jazeera “journalist” Anas Al-Sharif was a Hamas terrorist and compared Hamas to mainstream political parties in the United States and United Kingdom.
“Frankly, I don’t care whether Al-Sharif was in Hamas or not,” the president, Ian Williams, said during a CNN interview on Monday, one day after Al-Sharif’s death in a targeted Israeli strike. “We don’t kill journalists for being Republicans or Democrats or, in Britain, Labour Party. Hamas is a political organization, as well as a terrorist organization, perhaps. But it’s not permissible to go killing people.”
When asked to address Israeli documents showing that Al-Sharif was leading a Hamas cell, Williams said, “First of all, I don’t believe it. He’s been working 24 hours in journalism. He doesn’t have time to work in a cell on the side. Second point is I basically don’t believe anything the Israeli government says about this. They’ve lied and lied and lied.”
Williams did not address Telegram messages Al-Sharif posted on Oct. 7 lauding the Hamas massacre.
“It is a jihad, a jihad of victory and martyrdom. Allahu Akbar and thank God,” Al-Sharif wrote during the attacks. “9 hours later and the heroes are still roaming the country, killing and capturing… God, God, how great you are,” he said in another message. Al-Sharif also posted photos of dead Israeli soldiers being stepped on; one included the caption, “The army wants to exterminate people under their rugs 😉🔥” Before the attack, he posted photos of himself smiling alongside Hamas leaders, including slain Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar.
Al-Sharif’s death prompted an outcry from the mainstream media, which mostly dismissed his Hamas ties and praise. Outlets like CBS News and PBS quoted statements from the Foreign Press Association condemning the strike.
