Motaz Hilal Azaiza is a Palestinian photojournalist from the Gaza Strip.
Early life and education
Azaiza was raised in the Deir al-Balah Camp in the Gaza Strip. He attended Al-Azhar University in Gaza, graduating in 2021 with a degree in English studies. He is currently employed by UNRWA.
Photojournalism
Prior to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Azaiza's online posts most focused on photographing daily life in his native Gaza Strip. Although he covered the 2014 Gaza War and the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, his social media accounts did not gain much attention. 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. Prior to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Azaiza's profile on Instagram had approximately 25,000 followers. On 13 October, his Instagram account was restricted, but access was restored the following day. His follower count had increased to one million by 17 October, nine million by October 30, 12.5 million by November 3, and 13 million by November 7. As of 24 December 2023, Azaiza's Instagram profile had 17.5 million followers. 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."
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.
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