Gazan activist admits self-censorship by journalists in the Strip over Hamas criticism

A Palestinian activist from Gaza who was previously known statements such as “a single Palestinian is more important than a thousand Israeli[s]” and posted in the wake of the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that he “didn’t want a beautiful mourning from you, nor to mention his effects in written poems. He wanted you in the field: were you in the field” has admitted that those working in journalists in Gaza often censored coverage unfavourable to Hamas.

Motaz Azaiza, a photographer from Gaza, managed to leave the Strip in January 2024, moving to Qatar. Originally an UNRWA agency worker, he developed a following of millions of people on Instagram for his pictures of Gaza as Israel struck back in the wake of the 7 October mass terror attack from Hamas. Since leaving Gaza, he has become an international advocate for the Palestinian cause.

Earlier this month, Azaiza appeared on the podcast of Ahmed Biqawi, a Palestinian YouTuber. As subsequently translated by the MEMRI TV media research institute, during the conversation, which was conducted in Arabic, Azaiza described how “When someone gets out of the ambulance and says something like “May Allah punish Hamas”, and I’m filming him, and the people around him turn off the camera, I honestly couldn’t bring myself to look away from what he’s saying, or turn away the camera from what he was saying.

“Ultimately, he’s simply blaming his government, the one responsible for dragging him into a war like this.

“So, I was in a state of inner conflict at first. To be honest, I found it hard to publish things like this at first. I mean, I don’t know…not everyone…I’ve never seen a journalist from Gaza publish something like this.”

At this point, Biqawi interjects, saying “usually things like this are not published”, with Azaiza responding “Right. If someone says something like this, many journalists lower the camera.”

Later in the interview, Azaiza says “I speak for myself, based on what I experienced. I am not saying this to claim that the Palestinian Authority is better, or that Fatah is better, I am not saying that. But for example, today you too…this is something that needs to be conveyed. Today, when people accuse Hamas of committing massacres on 7 October, [Hamas] says, “well, it was the people who entered [Israel], not us. But when they talk about something heroic, they say, “Yes, we are the ones who did it. So everyone plays with us like…putty. By Allah, we are people of putty – everyone kneads us however they want.”

The interview led to a variety of reactions from the wider Arab listenership, with Azaiza receiving significant criticism. In a subsequent video, Azaiza filmed himself responding to criticism, saying that in the podcast episode “It was more or less about my experience as a Palestinian living inside [Gaza]. I talked about my experience and what I went through.

“And I expressed myself frankly — about my opinions, my reactions and what I have to say…“I was criticised a lot…from questioning [or casting doubt on me], to accusations of treason, to insults and abuse, and so on; organised campaigns and unorganised campaigns. From people who claim to be fighting the occupation [Israel], or fighting the narrative of the occupation.”

Azaiza went on to say that: “I am a voice from Gaza that wants to be heard — a voice that the street needs to hear. It needs to understand that there isn’t just one single narrative. There isn’t one unified narrative.

“The one unified narrative is that we are a people facing occupation and that a great injustice has been inflicted upon us. That is the narrative around which we all unite. Beyond that, however, there isn’t one [single] narrative. We don’t all issue [our views] according to what the media says, or what the political parties — or anyone else — thinks.”

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Gazan anti-Hamas writer and advocate, responded to Azaiza’s podcast interview by saying: “Motaz Azaiza, a Gazan journalist evacuated during the war and someone who has personally attacked me, is finally saying the blunt truth. Gaza‑based ‘journalists,’ whether tied to Al Jazeera, Hamas, foreign outlets, or social media, systematically self‑censored and hid anti‑Hamas sentiments inside the Strip. Their mission was to maintain a narrative centred solely on Israel and to erase any dissent, criticism of Hamas, or diversity in Palestinian views. Azaiza describes how he struggled with supposed ‘journalists’ who shut off their cameras whenever Gazans condemned Hamas or tried to hold it responsible for the catastrophe it brought upon them, from 7 October to the ruinous “resistance” mythology that followed.

“So to anyone repeating the line that Gaza had ‘more journalists killed than WWII and Vietnam combined,’ think carefully about who and what you are calling a journalist in territory fully controlled by a violent extremist organisation responsible for severe harm and repression. This does not deny that Israel’s offensive killed or injured real journalists. But it does expose how tightly Hamas has curated and policed the narrative for three years since 7 October.”