Five Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli attack near Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City.

Reporter Anas Al Sharif was killed alongside fellow correspondent Mohammed Qraiqea and photographers Ibrahim Al Thaher and Mohamed Nofal in the strike on Sunday evening, the broadcaster has said.

Al Jazeera condemned the "targeted assassination" of its employees, which it described as a "blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom".

In a statement on X, it added: "The order to assassinate Anas Al Sharif, one of Gaza's bravest journalists, and his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza.

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"As Al Jazeera Media Network bids farewell to yet another group of its finest journalists, who boldly and courageously documented the plight of Gaza and its people since the onset of the war, it holds the Israeli occupation forces and government responsible for deliberately targeting and assassinating its journalists."

Israel's military said it killed Sharif and accused him of heading a Hamas cell.

"Anas Al Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organisation and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops," the military said in a statement.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was "appalled" to learn of the journalists' deaths.

Regional Director Sara Qudah said: “Israel’s pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom.

"Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable.”