Sharif and another correspondent, Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent for journalists at the hospital's main gate when it was struck, the broadcaster said.

The "targeted assassination" on Sunday was "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom", it said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was appalled by the attack.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had targeted Sharif, alleging he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".