List of writers killed in Gaza

 

Writers* Killed in Gaza by Israeli Attacks Since October 2023

This is a list of writers killed in Gaza, many of them by what seems like specifically targeted attacks. 

Author	Note
Nour al-Din Hajjaj	The last statement to the outside world of poet and writer Nour al-Din Hajjaj’s before he was killed on 3 December 2023 was: “My name is Nour al Din Hajjaj, I am a Palestinian writer, I am twenty-seven years old and I have many dreams. I am not a number and I do not consent to my death being passing news. Say, too, that I love life, happiness, freedom, children’s laughter, the sea, coffee, writing …” Hajjaj actively participated in the Cordoba Association and the Days of Theater Foundation. His works include the play, The Gray Ones (2022) and the novel, Wings That Do Not Fly (2021).
Shahadah Al-Buhbahan	Poet and educational researcher, along with his granddaughter, Prof Al-Buhbahan was killed in Gaza on 24 October 2023. He was a man of  literature, excelling as an academic. He was loved by his family, relatives and neighbours in Al-Bureij refugee camp. He completed his university education in Cairo, worked as a teacher in Libya for several years, then returned to Gaza to continue teaching and pursue higher studies. He authored several poetry collections celebrated by students in Gaza schools. On 24 October 2023, he was killed along with his wife, daughters, son, and grandson.
Yusuf Dawas	Young artist and writer, who was also a guitarist and active participant in the ‘We Are Not Numbers’ initiative documenting the suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation, was martyred. He wrote in both Arabic and English and produced several videos discussing various topics, including his dream of traveling and exploring the world, a dream that many young people in Gaza Harbor, especially given the more than sixteen years of the blockade imposed on them by the Israeli occupation.
Omar Faris Abu Shaweesh	The poet Omar Faris Abu Shaweesh (36) was martyred on October 7th during the shelling of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza. He was a prominent community activist and made various contributions in social, youth, cultural, and intellectual spheres. He co-founded several youth associations and organizations and received the Outstanding Arab Youth Award from the Arab Youth Council for Integrated Development, affiliated with the Arab League.
Heba Abu Nada	The writer and poet, Heba Kamal Saleh Abu Nada (32 years old), was martyred on October 20th. She was a refugee from the displaced and destroyed village of Beit Jirja in 1948. She wrote stories, novels, and poetry. She is the author of Oxygen is Not for the Dead (2017), for which she was awarded the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity.Her last poem, published on  her last Facebook post (8 Oct) before she was killed by Israeli bombs at Khan Younis, stated: “The night in the city is dark, except for the glow of the missiles; silent, except for the sound of the bombing; terrifying, except for the reassuring promise of prayer; black, except for the light of the martyrs. Good night.”
Said Al-Dahshan	The writer,  and his family were martyred on October 11. Al-Dahshan was an expert in international law and had authored many works and research specialized in Palestinian affairs. His book, How to Sue Israel, outlined a legal strategy for holding Israel accountable for its violations of international law.
Abdul Karim Al-Hashash	The writer and Palestinian heritage advocate Abdul Karim Al-Hashash (76), along with many of his family members, was killed on October 23 in the city of Rafah. Al-Hashash was known for his writings on Palestinian folk heritage and his research on Bedouin heritage, customs, and Arab proverbs. He also collected dozens of rare books about Palestine, its history, and its heritage in his library.
Saleem Al-Naffar	Top poet Saleem Al-Naffar advocated for peaceful resistance and whose poetry expressed the struggle of Palestinians to survive and to be remembered in history. He and his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Gaza City on Dec. 7. In 1994, his family returned to Gaza, where he published poetry collections, novels, and an autobiography in Arabic.
Abdullah Al-Aqad	With his wife and four children, Al-Aqad was slain on 16 October 2023 by the Zionist bombardment of his house in Khan Younis city.
Mustafa Al-Sawwaf	Writer and journalist Mustafa Hassan Mahmoud Al-Sawwaf (68) was the first editor-in-chief of the first daily newspaper published in the Gaza Strip, which he also founded. He and several members of his family was killed due to the Israeli occupation’s shelling of his home in eastern Gaza on 18 November 2023. Al-Sawwaf is one of the most prominent Palestinian journalists and analysts. He served as the editor-in-chief of several newspapers/ His collection of political short stories is entitled, There Was a Householder (2017).
Dr Refaat Alareer	Dr. Alareer was a beloved professor of literature and creative writing at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he taught since 2007. On 7 December 2023, Alareer (44) was killed together with his brother and sister and four of her children in a targeted Israeli attack on his home. One of his notable works is the collection of short stories, Gaza Writes Back, in which young writers, writing in English, seek to bring their stories to a wider audience.
Inas al-Saqa	Inas al-Saqa, a celebrated playwright, actor, and educator who worked extensively in children’s theatre, was killed by an Israeli airstrike late October alongside three of her children—Sara, Leen, and Ibrahim. Saqa and her five children were sheltering in a building in Gaza City when it was hit by an Israeli air strike. Two of her children, Farah and Ritta, survived the attack but are critically injured and in intensive care. In this article, the Palestinian Ministry of Culture mourned the loss, noting Inas's profound contributions to the theatre community: https://bnnbreaking.com/arts/a-tragic-curtain-call-remembering-palestinian-actress-inas-al-saqa/. Saqa appeared in the 2014 Palestinian film Sara, She also appeared in the film The Homeland’s Sparrow, which was produced in Gaza and directed by Mustafa al-Nabih. Saqa is also remembered for her cultural work, including her association with theatre groups within Gaza.
Dr. Jihad Suleiman Al-Masri	Dr. Jihad Suleiman Al-Masri was a historian and university professor who wrote on Islamic history and Palestinian oral traditions. He died on October 17, after succumbing to injuries sustained in the Israeli shelling of Khan Yunis. He had been on his way to join his wife and daughter at the time of the attack.  He served as the director of Al-Quds Open University’s Khan Yunis branch.
Saleem Al-Naffar	Saleem Al-Naffar was a renowned poet who advocated for peaceful resistance and whose poetry expressed the struggle of Palestinians to survive and to be remembered in history. On Dec. 7, Al-Naffar and his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their home in GAZA. Born in a refugee camp in Gaza, Al-Naffar fled with his family during the 1967 war to Syria. But he returned in 1994, and went on to published poetry collections, novels, and an autobiography in Arabic. His poem Life reads, “Knives might eat / what remains of my ribs, / machines might smash / what remains of stones, / but life is coming, / for that is its way, / creating life even for us.”
Hamza Abyan	Hamza Abyan, a 19-year-old student of translation, faced life's challenges with resilience and ambition despite being orphaned by his father. Dreaming of literary success, he excelled in writing poetry and novels, aspiring to publish his first book. However, Israeli bombings fell in front of his house in Gaza. He and his family fled to the southern Gaza Strip in search of safety. But, their refuge was not spared as Israeli aircraft bombed their shelter, claiming the lives of Hamza and his family on 26th October 2023.
Yousef Maher Dawas	Yousef Maher Dawas was a young Heialt and writer. Yousef was studying to be a psychoanalyst. In January 2023, he published an essay entitled “Who will pay for the 20 years we lost?” In this essay, he recounts the destruction of his family’s orchard by an Israeli missile strike in May 2022. He died alongside members of his family in the northern town of Beit Lahia on Saturday, 14th October 2023. We Are Not Numbers, a collective he belonged to, announced his death on Twitter.

 

Sources: They Have Names; They Had Dreams (https://theyhavenames.net/they-had-dreams/); The Literary Hub (https://lithub.com/these-are-the-poets-and-writers-who-have-been-killed-in-gaza/); Ministry of Health in Gaza.

* Note: This is not a comprehensive list.

* Note: The writers featured here are those who formed part of the literature community. Journalists and most academics are not included in this list. All the writers featured here are Palestinian. A search for Jewish writers killed since October 2023 did not reveal any names.

FM 15/2/2024