A journalist from Gaza admitted that he withheld footage of Israeli hostages being abused and beaten by a Palestinian crowd on 7 October 2023 in order to protect the perpetrators.
Photographer Motaz Azaiza also revealed that all media in Gaza are controlled by Hamas through a single WhatsApp group, and that the terrorist group goes after any journalist who publishes criticism.
Azaiza has been honoured with a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize and a place on the Time100 list, the New York Post writes.
The world must see Azaiza’s images
It turns out that Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik, a member of the Liberal Party (Venstre), nominated Azaiza (24) for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024.
Screenshot from Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik’s Instagram account.
In addition, the photographer has been celebrated in the Norwegian media, including in a photo feature by NRK, Norway’s state broadcaster.
The world must see the photographs and videos Azaiza takes in the Gaza Strip in order to understand the present and remember it in the future, Thorsvik told VG at the time.
Through the images on Azaiza’s Instagram account, more than 18 million people around the world gain insight into how the horrific events are affecting the people of Gaza, she said.
Thorsvik said that she had the full support of the Liberal Party’s parliamentary group.
Did not want to ruin lives
Azaiza has become one of the best-known journalists in Gaza, the New York Post writes further.
He was in the area on 7 October, when Hamas marched the hostages they had taken from Israel through the streets of Gaza, where all hell broke loose.
This is what he said about the footage and images from 7 October on the Taqarrab podcast:
People came out, watched, beat them, hit them, and I followed them and filmed.
But I did not publish these videos.
Why? Because I did not want to ruin the lives of those who were filmed.
I understood that Israel would use these videos to identify every single person who was there and eliminate them.
I did not want to be responsible, even indirectly, for these people’s deaths in exchange for a few ‘likes’ and views online.
Azaiza also revealed that all journalists in Gaza are members of a Hamas-run WhatsApp group called ‘Smart’, which coordinates news coverage in Gaza.
One of Hamas’s media directors, who is based at the Rafah border crossing, ran the group, he said.
Desecrated Shani Louk’s body
In the aftermath, several of the hostages who were paraded around the Gaza Strip on 7 October eventually spoke about the horrific experience.
Itay Regev, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre, said that Hamas had driven him and others through the streets of Gaza and displayed them as human ‘trophies’ to the enraged crowds.
And unforgettable reports emerged of how the body of the murdered hostage Shani Louk was desecrated by Hamas, while crowds in Gaza cheered and spat on her body.
Azaiza was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2024 for his nearly four months of coverage of Gaza, in which he focused attention on civilian deaths and the destruction.
He has also met New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and even attended his election-night party in November last year, The Post writes.
The photographer received extensive coverage across the Norwegian media. NRK’s montage is thorough and takes viewers through his ‘heroic’ days in Gaza.
On day 30, he felt a sense of hopelessness and asked: What can I do to show the world what is happening?
Screenshot, NRK: Gaza through Azaiza’s camera lens.
Celebrated the Hamas massacre
Azaiza was employed by UNRWA and celebrated the Hamas massacre on 7 October, the Israeli newspaper Ynetnews wrote in 2024, when he was included in Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
Motaz Azaiza, 25, shared videos of Israelis being abducted by the terrorists during the 7 October attack and compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler.
He is known for his collaboration with pro-Hamas activists on social media and has been blocked by Meta several times for inappropriate content, Ynetnews wrote.
Despite this, US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib awarded him a letter of appreciation for his coverage of the Palestinian people and his work as a storyteller, and praised his ‘fearless’ journalism.
And despite this, he was celebrated by the Norwegian media and nominated for the Peace Prize by a Liberal Party politician.
