Motaz Azaiza
معتز هلال عزايزة‎
Born
Motaz Hilal Azaiza

1998 or 1999 (age 24–25)
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip
NationalityPalestinian
Alma materAl-Azhar University
OccupationPhotojournalist
Years active2014–present
Employer UNRWA
Known forDocumenting the Gaza–Israel conflict on social media

Motaz Hilal Azaiza (Arabic: معتز هلال عزايزة; born 1998 or 1999)[1] is a Palestinian photojournalist from the Gaza Strip.[2][3][4][5]

Early life and education

Azaiza was raised in the Deir al-Balah Camp in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip.[5] He attended Al-Azhar University in Gaza, graduating in 2021 with a degree in English studies.[5] He is currently employed by UNRWA.[6]

Photojournalism

Prior to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Azaiza's online posts most focused on photographing daily life in his native Gaza Strip.[3][5] Although he covered the 2014 Gaza War and the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, his social media accounts did not gain much attention.[5] There are few foreign journalists in the Gaza Strip due to Israel and Egypt denying them access to the territory, which has led to Azaiza becoming a key reporter on the ground in Gaza.[7]

Prior to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Azaiza's profile on Instagram had approximately 25,000 followers.[5][7] On 13 October, his Instagram account was restricted, but access was restored the following day.[8] His follower count had increased to one million by 17 October,[9] nine million by October 30,[3] 12.5 million by November 3,[7] and 13 million by November 7.[5] As of 27 December 2023, Azaiza's Instagram profile had 17.5 million followers.[10]

In November 2023, GQ Middle East named him as their Man of the Year, with editor Ahmad Ali Swaid stating that "he reminds us that no matter who we are or where we're from, it's us – ordinary people, men, and women – who have the power to enact that very change that we want to see."[11][12]

Azaiza's photograph, "Seeing Her Through My Camera," part of his extensive coverage of Gaza during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, was listed among Time's top 10 photos of 2023. In late October, following an Israeli airstrike, Azaiza used a low shutter speed on his camera to capture the moment, revealing a young girl trapped under rubble at the Al Nusairat refugee camp. This technique allowed him to witness her in the darkness where the naked eye couldn't confirm her condition before a Civil Defense rescue worker's light illuminated her face.[13]

In January 2024, Azaiza appeared on Mehdi Hasan's final show with MSNBC to discuss the dangers of reporting from Gaza under Israel's bombardment.[14] Later that month, after 108 days of reporting, Azaiza evacuated to Egypt and then Doha.[15]

Personal life

On 11 October 2023, at least 15 of Azaiza's relatives were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Deir al-Balah Camp, shortly after the outbreak of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[9][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Al-Hlou, Yousur (19 November 2023). "The War in Gaza Is Also Unfolding on Instagram". New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ^ Khadder, Kareem; Salman, Abeer; Saifi, Zeena (6 November 2023). "Gaza's communications blackout makes it difficult to "show the world what is happening," journalists say". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "5 Doctors and Journalists Playing Vital Roles in Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis". Vogue Arabia. 30 October 2023. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  4. ^ Bulos, Nabih (29 October 2023). "New views of destruction emerge as 36-hour Gaza communication blackout lifts". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Abed, Abubaker (7 November 2023). "Motaz Azaiza: Gaza's window to the world". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Motaz Azaiza becomes Gaza's pivotal digital journalist". MENAFN. 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Abbruzzese, Jason; Ingram, David; Salam, Yasmine (3 November 2023). "On Instagram, Palestinian journalists and digital creators documenting Gaza strikes see surge in followers". NBC News. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  8. ^ Piper, Ernie (24 October 2023). "A bombing in Gaza killed an influencer's family—Instagram responded by suspending his account". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  9. ^ a b Amer, Ruwaida; Alsaafin, Linah; Amer, Ruwaida (17 October 2023). "Surrounded by death, Gaza content creators fight to get the truth out". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Guerre à Gaza : Motaz Azaiza, ce journaliste palestinien qui porte la douleur de son peuple". La Croix (in French). 27 December 2023. ISSN 0242-6056. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  11. ^ Monaghan, Becca (24 November 2023). "GQ honours Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza as Man of the Year | indy100". www.indy100.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  12. ^ Swaid, Ahmad (23 November 2023). "Motaz Azaiza is Our 2023 'Man Of The Year'". GQ Middle East. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  13. ^ "TIME's Top 10 Photos of 2023". TIME. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  14. ^ Bauder, David (8 January 2024). "MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan quits rather than accept demotion at news network". ABC News. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Prominent journalist Motaz Azaiza evacuates Gaza after 108 days of Israeli onslaught". Arab News. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  16. ^ Simões, Tiago (30 October 2023). "Motaz Azaiza - O jornalista que ganhou 10 milhões de seguidores a mostrar a realidade nua e crua de Gaza". Nova Gente (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.

External links

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