Marwan Mostafa Hosni Al Sawaf, a photographer and sound technician at the privately owned Alef Multimedia Company, was killed by an Israeli drone strike in Gaza City on December 1, 2023, alongside his brother Montaser Al Sawaf, according to media reports and his brother, Mohamed Al Sawaf, the founder of Alef Multimedia who spoke to CPJ.
Marwan Al Sawaf, 30, was on his way to film coverage of the Israel-Gaza war when he was killed, his brother told CPJ. “He wasn’t wearing his press jacket at the time, as Marwan had expressed concern about the risks, fearing the jacket would make him a target due to the repeated targeting of journalists,” Mohamed Al Sawaf said.
CPJ emailed the Israel Defense Forces’ North America Media Desk in late September 2024, asking for comment on the killing of Al Sawaf. In an exchange that followed, the IDF asked CPJ for the journalists’ IDs and "relevant coordinates," which CPJ explained it could not provide due to research limitations. The IDF then said it could not fully address CPJ’s inquiry due to a lack of "sufficient details." The IDF said it takes "all operationally feasible measures" to prevent harm to journalists and other civilians, asserting that "many" on CPJ’s list were Hamas members and therefore lawful targets, but did not name the journalists or provide evidence they were Hamas fighters.