‘If these words reach you, Israel ...’: Slain Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif’s final words

Al-Sharif's note ends with the plea, “Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your righteous prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.”

Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif was among five journalists killed in an Israeli strike near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, the IDF confirmed on Monday.

Shortly after his death, an emotional note he had written months in advance, described as his “last will and testament”, was shared on microblogging site X by a friend.

“This is my will and my final message,” writes the 28-year-old journalist.

“If these words of mine reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.”

Al-Sharif writes in his note that he had “exerted every effort and strength” to be “a support and a voice” for the Palestinian people, from the moment I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp.”

He also expressed hope that he could one day return with his family to their original hometown, the occupied Ascalon (“Majdal”), but said, “Allah’s will prevailed, and His decree was fulfilled.”

هذه وصيّتي، ورسالتي الأخيرة. إن وصلَتكم كلماتي هذه، فاعلموا أن إسرائيل قد نجحت في قتلي وإسكات صوتي. بداية السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

يعلم الله أنني بذلت كل ما أملك من جهدٍ وقوة، لأكون سندًا وصوتًا لأبناء شعبي، مذ فتحت عيني على الحياة في أزقّة وحارات مخيّم جباليا للاجئين،… — أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) August 10, 2025

“I lived pain in all its details and tasted loss and grief time and again,” he noted, further adding, “Yet, I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification, hoping that Allah would bear witness to those who remained silent, those who accepted our killing, and those who besieged our breaths, unmoved by the remains of our children and women, and who did not stop the massacre that our people have been enduring for over a year and a half.”

He also encourages readers with “Palestine, the jewel in the crown of Muslims, the beating heart of every free person in this world” and its people, “especially its oppressed young children who were not given the chance to dream or live in safety and peace… whose pure bodies were crushed by thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart, their remains scattered on the walls.”

“I urge you not to let chains silence you or borders hold you back,” he says further. “Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our plundered homeland.”

Furthermore, in deeply personal passages, the slain journalist has urged the public to care for his family -- his daughter Sham, “the apple of my eye, whom time did not grant me to see grow as I had dreamed”; his son Salah, “whom I wished to support and be a companion for until he grew strong, to carry the burden from me and continue the mission”; his mother, “whose prayers blessed me to reach where I did… her light was my path”; and his wife, Umm Salah Bayan, “steadfast like an unyielding olive tree trunk… carrying the responsibility in my absence with all strength and faith.”

“I urge you to rally around them and be their support after Allah, the Mighty and Exalted,” he writes.

His moving note ends with the plea, “Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your righteous prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.”

The note was written months in advance, on April 6, as per the footnote at the end of the post on X.

Al-Sharif was killed along with correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Noufal in Israeli airstrikes late Sunday night.