Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT1177a

Incident date

November 17, 2023

Location

ساحة الشوا, Shawa Square, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.506944, 34.467778 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least 46 people were killed, including women, children and a journalist, and at least five others were injured, including three journalists, by alleged Israeli airstrikes on the Al-Sawaf family home in Shawa Square in the Al-Tiffah neighborhood east of Gaza City at 11:15pm on November 17, 2023.

On January 14, 2024, Airwars’ researchers spoke with Shimaa Musfafa Al Sawaf, daughter of the owner of the house, who provided the names of those killed and injured by the strike on her family’s home.

From the family of Mustafa Hosni Al-Sawaf (father of Shimaa Musfafa Al Sawaf who provided the details), Mustafa Hosni Al-Sawaf was killed along with his wife Maha Youssef Al-Jayar, along with their sons Mahmoud Mustafa Al-Sawaf and Ahmed Mustafa Al-Sawaf. Mahmoud’s wife Zein Mahmoud Al-Sawaf was also killed, along with their children Baraa Mahmoud Al-Sawaf, Maha Mahmoud Al-Sawaf, and Karam Mahmoud Al-Sawaf. Ahmed’s son Omar Ahmed Al-Sawaf and daughter Shahad Ahmed Al-Sawaf were also among those killed. Mustafa and Maha’s other three sons Mohammed Al-Sawaf, Marwan Mustafa Al-Sawaf and Montaser Mustafa Al-Sawaf were injured in the strike, but Marwan and Montaser were later killed in another incident on December 1st (see incident ISPT1345 for details).

A woman named Saleha Mahmoud Al-Sawaf was also killed, with her son Muhammad Mahmoud Al-Sawaf, Muhammad’s wife Hanaa Jamal Al-Batsh, along with their sons Obaida Muhammad Al-Sawaf, Osama Muhammad Al-Sawaf and Ahmed Muhammad Al-Sawaf, along with Saleha’s other grandson Mustafa Hatem Al-Sawaf.

Mustafa Hosni Al-Sawaf’s brother Khamis Hosni Al-Sawaf was killed along with his wife Magda Al-Sawaf and their children Hanadi Khamis Al-Sawaf, Ramez Khamis Al-Sawaf, and Youssef Khamis Al-Sawaf. Ramez’s wife Samah Magdy Al-Helou was also killed, in addition to their daughter Basmala Ramez Al-Sawaf. Youssef’s wife Shahinda Al-Batsh, and children Suhaib Youssef Al-Sawaf, Mahmoud Youssef Al-Sawaf, and Sham Youssef Al-Sawaf were also killed.

Another member of the Al-Sawaf family named Kafa Ahmed Al-Sawaf was killed, alongside her son Abdul Karim Ahmed Al-Sawaf, his wife Suhaila Al-Sawaf, and their children Al-Hassan Abdul Karim Al-Sawaf, Basant Abdul Karim Al-Sawaf, and Ahmed Abdel Karim Al-Sawaf. 

From Nima Al-Sawaf’s family, Nima Al-Sawaf was killed, in addition to her daughter Asma Abd al-Rahman al-Sawaf and son Izz al-Din Abd al-Rahman al-Sawaf.

A man named Nabil Salah Al-Sawaf was killed with his wife Inam Al-Sawaf, and their daughter Lama Nabil Al-Sawaf. 

Muhammad Fouad Al-Sawaf and Muhammad Salama Al-Sawaf were both injured in the strike, and were later killed in another strike on December 1st (see incident ISPT1345 for details).

In addition to the members of the Al-Sawaf family who were killed and injured, eight displaced civilians who were sheltering with the family were killed. @nissren_jaber reported that the building contained 150 displaced people at the time of the strike.

Mustafa Hosni Al-Sawaf (also referred to as Dr. Mustafa) was described by different sources as a journalist and a writer, with one source adding that “we learned from him at the beginning the path towards media life and media appearance”. Anadolu Agency also posted a condolence message for Mustafa, referring to him as a “journalist and political analyst” and “the great journalist and writer Mustafa”. Palestinian Ministry of Culture mourned the loss of Mustafa, pointing out that he “is considered one of the most famous Palestinian media figures and analysts, and has written hundreds of writings and analyzes on Palestinian political affairs.” Literary Hub described Mustafa as “the editor-in-chief of several newspapers and was founder and editor-in-chief of the first daily newspaper published in the Gaza Strip. Al-Sawaf also published a number of books, including a six-part series of articles, Days of Rage (2005), and a collection of political short stories, There Was a Householder (2017).” However, an Israeli Journalist named Roi Kais reportedly accused Mustafa of being sympathetic to Hamas.

According to @HuDa_NaIm92 (who initially reported that Montaser Mustafa Al-Sawaf was killed), Montaser was a photojournalist for Anadolu Agency, and included an image of him in a press vest with an AA microphone. Montaser posted a few days later on his own Facebook page that more than 45 people had been killed in the strike, “including my mother, father, my two brothers, and all of their children,” and that “I was injured in the face. Unfortunately, I have not yet found a doctor to treat me, as I am in Gaza City and there is no hospital for treatment, not even doctors” along with an image of his swollen and injured face.

A tweet from @Bashar_Hamdan referred to his friend as director Muhammad Al-Sawaf, adding that Muhammad’s family was filled with hope that the Arab countries would stop the conflict in Gaza, but instead were killed and injured. Anadolu Agency identified Muhammad as the director of Atef Multimedia Agency.

Another son of Mustafa and his wife Maha who was injured in the strike named Marwan Mustafa posted a condolence message to his “beloved” father, his mother who “left my heart”, his “beloved brother” Mahmoud and “the father of a kind heart” Ahmed, as well as a total of 47 people from his family who had been killed. According to Shireen Observatory, Marwan was born on January 12th, 1993 (he was 30 years old), he studied technology at the University College of Applied Sciences – Gaza and he worked at both the college and for Alef Multimedia, and he was pictured in a press vest.

Al Mayadeen News spoke with a witness who said that the strike occurred at 11:15pm on November 17th.

According to @Gazanow12345, a “massive fire” broke out at the location of the strike. Al Mayadeen also spoke with an eyewitness who said that “bodies were scattered tens of meters away from the targeted building” and that city residents were calling on rescue workers to extinguish the fire and rescue those trapped under the rubble.

*The youngest generation of each family have been counted as children until additional information comes out about the ages of victims.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.

The incident occured at 23:15:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (45)

Mustafa Hosni Al-Sawaf مصطفى حسني الصواف
Adult male killed
Maha Youssef Al-Jayar مها يوسف الجيار
Adult female killed
Mohammed Al-Sawaf محمد الصواف
Adult male injured
Mahmoud Mustafa Al-Sawaf محمود مصطفى الصواف
Adult male killed
Zein Mahmoud Al-Sawaf زين محمود الصواف
Adult female killed
Baraa Mahmoud Al-Sawaf براء محمود الصواف
male killed
Maha Mahmoud Al-Sawaf مها محمود الصواف
female killed
Karam Mahmoud Al-Sawaf كرم محمود الصواف
male killed
Ahmed Mustafa Al-Sawaf أحمد مصطفى الصواف
Adult male killed
Shahad Ahmed Al-Sawaf شهد أحمد الصواف
female killed
Omar Ahmed Al-Sawaf عمر احمد الصوف
male killed
Montaser Mustafa Al-Sawaf منتصر مصطفى الصواف
Adult male injured
Marwan Mustafa Al-Sawaf مروان مصطفى الصواف
30 years old male injured
Saleha Mahmoud Al-Sawaf صالحة محمود الصواف
Adult female killed
Mustafa Hatem Al-Sawaf مصطفى حاتم الصواف
killed
Muhammad Mahmoud Al-Sawaf محمد محمود الصواف
Adult male killed
Hanaa Jamal Al-Batsh هناء جمال البطش
Adult female killed
Obaida Muhammad Al-Sawaf عبيدة محمد الصواف
male killed
Osama Muhammad Al-Sawaf أسامة محمد الصواف
male killed
Ahmed Muhammad Al-Sawaf أحمد محمد الصواف
male killed
Khamis Hosni Al-Sawaf خميس حسني الصواف
Adult male killed
Magda Al-Sawaf ماجدة الصواف
Adult female killed
Hanadi Khamis Al-Sawaf هنادي خميس الصواف
Adult female killed
Ramez Khamis Al-Sawaf رامز خميس الصواف
Adult male killed
Samah Magdy Al-Helou سماح مجدي الحلو
Adult female killed
Basmala Ramez Al-Sawaf بسملة رامز الصواف
female killed
Youssef Khamis Al-Sawaf وسف خميس الصواف
Adult male killed
Shahinda Al-Batsh شاهيندا البطش
Adult female killed
Suhaib Youssef Al-Sawaf صهيب يوسف الصواف
male killed
Mahmoud Youssef Al-Sawaf محمود يوسف الصواف
male killed
Sham Youssef Al-Sawaf شام يوسف الصواف
female killed
Kafa Ahmed Al-Sawaf كفا أحمد الصواف
Adult female killed
Abdul Karim Ahmed Al-Sawaf عبد الكريم أحمد الصواف
Adult male killed
Suhaila Al-Sawaf سهيلة الصواف
Adult female killed
Al-Hassan Abdul Karim Al-Sawaf الحسن عبد الكريم الصواف
male killed
Basant Abdul Karim Al-Sawaf بسنت عبدالكريم الصواف
female killed
Ahmed Abdel Karim Al-Sawaf أحمد عبدالكريم الصواف
male killed
Nima Al-Sawaf نعمة الصواف
Adult female killed
Izz al-Din Abd al-Rahman al-Sawaf عزالدين عبدالرحمن الصواف
male killed
Asma Abd al-Rahman al-Sawaf أسماء عبد الرحمن الصواف
female killed
Nabil Salah Al-Sawaf نبيل صلاح الصواف
Adult male killed
Inam Al-Sawaf أنعام الصواف
Adult female killed
Lama Nabil Al-Sawaf لمى نبيل الصواف
female killed
Muhammad Fouad Al-Sawaf محمود فواد الصواف
male injured
Muhammad Salama Al-Sawaf محمود سلامة الصواف
male injured

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention Shawa Square (ساحة الشوا) to the east of Gaza city (غزة), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.506944, 34.467778. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    46 – 48
  • (19 children12 women9 men1 journalist)
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (21) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @HuDa_NaIm92
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @adham922
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @AJArabic
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @rdooan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @rdooan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Bashar_Hamdan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @AJA_Palestine
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Montaser Al Sawaf
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Israeli Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Israeli Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    46 – 48
  • (19 children12 women9 men1 journalist)
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (21) [ collapse]