On November 18, 2023, Mostafa Al Sawaf, a Palestinian writer and analyst, was killed along with his family in an Israeli airstrike on his home by Shawa Square in Gaza City. Al Sawaf was the father of the two journalists Marwan and Montaser, who were killed two weeks later.
He worked as a freelance journalist for several Palestinian, Arab, and international media outlets, including Palestine newspaper and MSDR, Al-Nahar, Al-Quds, the BBC, Al-Nour Radio, MBC, and Filastin Daily, where he served as editor-in-chief from 2007 to 2009.
Al Sawaf held senior government positions in Gaza’s Ministries of Culture and Social Development. He was a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau from 2006 to 2010, and has been a member of its General Shura Council representing Gaza since 2006.
In June 2026, CPJ undertook a review of its documentation of journalists and media workers killed in the Israel-Gaza war since 2023.
After conducting desk research and speaking to two independent sources who knew Al Sawaf, CPJ found no credible evidence linking him to any armed military work or that he participated in combat.
The sources confirmed that he worked as a journalist throughout the latest war in Gaza. He is, therefore, classified as a journalist under CPJ’s methodology, and has been retained in the organization’s database.
CPJ continues to investigate cases involving journalists killed in the Israel-Gaza war and routinely reviews and updates its documentation when credible new information becomes available.