Five journalists working with Al Jazeera news network were allegedly killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on Sunday.

The deceased were identified as correspondent Anas al-Sharif, journalist Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.

The media crew was in a tent opposite the Al-Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City when the airstrike hit, according to Al Jazeera reports.

Although the Israeli military claimed it targeted and killed Mr Al-Sharif, a prominent journalist with a news network, who has extensively covered the war from inside Gaza.

It accused Mr Al-Sharif of leading a Hamas cell, an allegation the deceased had previously denied.

It also claimed that Mr Al-Sharif was a senior Hamas figure allegedly involved in planning rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers.

The military said it had “intelligence information and documents” linking him to the militant group.

But Al Jazeera has strongly denied the allegations, describing them as “baseless” and warning that such claims could be used to justify further attacks on journalists.

“The order to kill Anas Al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s bravest journalists, along with his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence voices ahead of the occupation of Gaza,” the news network said in a statement after the attack.

Last month, when the Israel Defense Forces accused Mr Al-Sharif, 28, of being a member of Hamas, he responded in a message on social media.

“I reaffirm: I, Anas Al-Sharif, am a journalist with no political affiliations. My only mission is to report the truth from the ground, as it is, without bias.

“At a time when a deadly famine is ravaging Gaza, speaking the truth has become, in the eyes of the occupation, a threat,” he stated.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the killings, accusing Israel of repeatedly branding journalists as terrorists without credible proof.

The group, a press freedom watch, also described Mr Al-Sharif as one of Al Jazeera’s most prominent correspondents, known recently for his coverage of starvation in Gaza amid aid shortages.