UN condemns targeted Israeli attack that killed five Al Jazeera journalists

Five Al Jazeera journalists, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday night, alongside a sixth freelance journalist.

The Israeli military said it had targeted Sharif, alleging he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".

Media rights groups and countries including Qatar have condemned the attack. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said the UK government is "gravely concerned" and called for an independent investigation.

Speaking to reporters, Starmer's official spokesman said Israel should ensure journalists can work safely and report without fear.

The funerals of Sharif, fellow Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa took place on Monday following the targeted missile strike on their tent in Gaza City.

Mohammad al-Khaldi was named by medics at al-Shifa hospital as the sixth journalist who was killed during the strike, Reuters news agency reported. Another person was also killed in the attack, it said.

Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom group, strongly condemned what it called the assassination of Sharif.

The Foreign Press Association said it was outraged by the targeted killing. It said the Israeli military had repeatedly labelled Palestinian journalists "as militants, often without verifiable evidence".

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was appalled by the attack and Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations against him.

"Israel has a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof," the organisation added.

The Israeli military has suggested it has documents found in Gaza that confirmed Sharif belonged to Hamas.

It said these include "personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, phone directories and salary documents".

The only materials that have been released for publication are screenshots of spreadsheets apparently listing Hamas operatives from the northern Gaza Strip, noting injuries to Hamas operatives and a section of what is said to be a phone directory for the armed group's East Jabalia battalion.

The BBC cannot independently verify these documents.

The BBC understands Sharif worked for a Hamas media team in Gaza before the current conflict.

Israel says he was "the head of a Hamas terrorist cell" but has produced little evidence to support that.

In some of his social media posts before his death, the journalist can be heard criticising Hamas.