Motaz Azaiza announces temporary departure from Gaza

Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza has vacated the Gaza Strip, setting course for Qatar. In a heartfelt video, he remarked on his press jacket, ‘This is the last time you will see me with this heavy, stinky vest.’ Azaiza’s contribution has been pivotal in offering real-time insights from the besieged region, engaging over 18 million Instagram enthusiasts, coupled with an audience surpassing a million on X, previously known as Twitter.

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Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza, who has amassed a following of over 18 million people on Instagram, has been evacuated from Gaza.

Seen as a reputable voice throughout Israel’s bombing campaign on the Strip, Azaiza has documented the mass destruction which has resulted from the Israeli air strikes, the humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians who have struggled to find food as the attacks continued, and been subjected to threats at the hands of the occupation forces.

In a post on social media earlier today, Motaz wrote: “I had to evacuate for a lot of reasons you all know some of it but not all of it. Thank you all. Pray for Gaza.”

He headed to Qatar on a military plane from El Arish International Airport after travelling through the Rafah Crossing into Egypt.

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