Motaz Hilal Azaiza (Arabic:معتز هلال عزايزة; born(1999-01-30)30 January 1999)[1] is a Palestinian photojournalist fromGaza.[2][3][4][5] He is known for covering theGaza war, drawing a large social media following. In 2023, he was named Man of the Year byGQ Middle East and one of his photos, showing a girl trapped in rubble from an Israeli air strike, was named one ofTime's top 10 photos of 2023, and was featured onTime's list of the100 most influential people of 2024.
Prior to theGaza war, Azaiza's online posts mostly focused on photographing daily life in his nativeGaza Strip.[3][5] He toldThe Guardian he did not intend to become a war journalist and wished "people knew me for my art, I wanted to capture the beauty of my people".[7] His dream was to become a travel photographer according toGrazia UK, but he could not yet afford the visa expenses.[8] Although he covered the2014 Gaza War and the2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, his social media accounts did not gain much attention at the time.[5] There are few foreign journalists in the Gaza Strip due toIsrael and Egypt denying them access to the territory, which has led to Azaiza becoming a key reporter on the ground in Gaza.[9]
2023–present
Before theHamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Azaiza's profile onInstagram had approximately 25,000 followers.[5][9] On 13 October, his Instagram account was restricted, but access was restored the following day.[10] His follower count had increased to one million by 17 October,[11] nine million by October 30,[3] 12.5 million by November 3,[9] and 13 million by November 7.[5] As of 27 December, Azaiza's Instagram profile had 17.5 million followers,[12] with the number reaching over 18 million by January 2024.[13]
In January 2024, Azaiza appeared onMehdi Hasan's final show withMSNBC to discuss thedangers of reporting from Gaza under Israel's bombardment.[14] Later that month, after 108 days of reporting, Azaiza and some of his family evacuated to Egypt and thenDoha,Qatar viaAl-Arish Airport, their first time on a plane.[15] Azaiza subsequently began meeting with ministers, diplomats, and media figures to share his accounts, frustrated that his attempts to broadcast what was happening in Gaza had not changed things.[7]
On his first civilian flight, Azaiza flew toIstanbul on 26 February 2024, beginning his travels to "show, tell and speak more".[16] He then went toGeneva, Switzerland on 8 March for theFIFDH, appearing on a panel withFarah Nabulsi and Mohamed Jabaly at the premiere of Jabaly's filmLife is Beautiful.[17] Azaiza visited American universities for talks in April,[18][19] including aCommittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) panel,[20] and went toLondon in May, where he joined protests and gave a speech on Nakba Day.[21]
On 11 October 2023, at least 15 of Azaiza's relatives were killed in an Israeli airstrike on theDeir al-Balah Camp, shortly after the outbreak of theGaza war.[11][25]
In a February 2024 interview withThe Guardian, Azaiza mentioned the traumatic flashbacks and feelings of guilt and hopelessness he experienced after leaving Gaza.[7]
Accolades
In November 2023,GQ Middle East named Azaiza 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."[26][27]
Azaiza's photograph, "Seeing Her Through My Camera", part of his extensive coverage of Gaza during the Gaza war, was listed amongTime's top 10 photos of 2023. In late October, following an Israeli airstrike, Azaiza used a lowshutter 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.[28]
Azaiza was featured onTime's list of the 100 most influential people of 2024 in April.[30] In June, Azaiza was awarded the Freedom Prize inNormandy, France.[31] Azaiza was one of four Palestinian journalists to be nominated for the 2024Nobel Peace Prize.[32]
