Journalists and media workers protest after Al-Jazeera personnel killed in Gaza, in Barcelona, Spain, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo: Marc Asensio/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect

A group of 17 US senators — all Democrats except for Bernie Sanders, an independent — is pressing the State Department over reports of Israeli military strikes that have killed and injured journalists in Gaza, despite Israel maintaining that Hamas has consistently embedded its fighters among civilians and exploited media workers as cover for its terrorist operations.

In a letter sent on Wednesday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the senators raised concerns about a recent strike in Gaza that killed six media workers, including Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif. Israeli officials have said al-Sharif was linked to Hamas, though critics in Washington argue Israel has not provided enough public evidence to bolster that claim.

The senators warned that the incident fits into what they called a “pattern of violence” against journalists. But Israel and its supporters argue that the reality is far more complex. Hamas often operates within civilian populations, including hospitals, schools, and media offices, making it difficult for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to avoid collateral casualties during precision strikes.

The lawmakers asked the State Department to assess whether Israel has complied with international law and US policy in its targeting decisions. They also raised questions about accountability for previous strikes, including an October 2023 attack in southern Lebanon that killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and wounded American reporter Dylan Collins.

Israel has repeatedly said it investigates battlefield incidents involving civilian or journalist casualties, but the Isreal Defense Force (IDF) stresses that Hamas’s deliberate use of human shields makes complete protection of journalists impossible. Supporters of Israel note that Hamas has used press credentials to disguise operatives, a tactic that directly endangers legitimate media workers.

The senators also pressed the administration to ask Israel to allow greater access for foreign journalists to Gaza. But Israeli officials have long maintained that Hamas tightly controls who can operate inside the territory and uses journalists as tools in its propaganda war. Israeli officials also point out that while international media demand full access, Hamas has routinely censored coverage, intimidated reporters, and staged events for cameras.

The letter cited reports of Palestinian journalists held in administrative detention. Israel counters that many of those detained are suspected of aiding Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al allied terrorist group in Gaza, and that security-based detentions are lawful under both Israeli and international emergency regulations.

Israeli officials have also emphasized that outlets like Al Jazeera have played an active role in spreading Hamas messaging, prompting Israel’s government to restrict some of its operations.

Since the war erupted in October 2023, around 190 Palestinian journalists in Gaza have reportedly been killed. However, Israel insists that many were targeted because of ties to terrorist groups.

Moreover, records and public footage indicate al-Sharif worked on a Hamas-linked media team before joining Al Jazeera, maintained ties with senior Hamas leadership, and was singled out by anti-Hamas protesters in March 2025 as part of the group’s ruling establishment.

The Israel Defense Forces claimed that al-Sharif, who was killed on Aug. 10 along with four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike near Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, was “the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops.” IDF international spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani added on X that Israel obtained intelligence showing al-Sharif was “an active Hamas military wing operative at the time of his elimination” and even received a salary from the terrorist group.