Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza gained fame for documenting the first 108 days of Israel’s assault on Gaza. He now advocates for Palestinian rights worldwide, speaking out against the targeting of children and families by Israel. Azaiza’s work has earned him recognition, including being named “Man of the Year” by GQ Middle East. Through his photography, he aims to bring attention to the plight of his people and bring about positive change.
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Democracy Now! interviewed Azaiza in Washington, D.C., where he discussed his experiences and the impact of his work. From capturing heartbreaking images of war-torn Gaza to advocating for individual victims like Jood and highlighting the human side of the conflict, Azaiza’s photography tells a powerful story. His journey as a photographer, from capturing beauty to documenting tragedy, showcases the harsh reality faced by Palestinians.
LAILA MOKHIBER: Gaza is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and that beauty was documented by a young photographer named Motaz Azaiza for years, eager to show the world his culture, his people, its rainbows, its sunsets, its sea.
MARA KRONENFELD: Even with this blockade, there was so much life in Gaza. And we thought, “We need somebody on the ground who can show us that life and also, of course, can show us the importance of education and health and shelter assistance that UNRWA is providing to those in Gaza.”
LAILA MOKHIBER: When I eventually was looking for a photographer on the ground to capture stories, to help show the people of the United States the real stories of Palestine refugees, I convened some of Gaza’s greatest around a table at Al Deira Hotel, a place I’ll forever cherish and miss. Among us were the late Dr. Refaat Alareer and others.
MARA KRONENFELD: Laila collected many applications. One was a lovely woman named Amjad, and one was Motaz. That day that those two were selected changed us in so many ways as an organization, and, frankly, changed us each personally, as well. Seeing Motaz suffer, along with all Palestinians in Gaza, and see him — and I’ll never forget this — seeing him holding a bloodied child, a girl, and taking her, speeding, to the hospital, and he had never learned to drive before that moment.
NAHED ELRAYES: Nobody in Gaza, in all of Palestine, chooses to be a hero. This includes Motaz. Once, I asked him over ice cream, “What is the number one thing you wish the world knew about Gaza?” And this nerdy photographer, whose favorite thing was capturing people’s faces and pretty sunsets, he just had this sad look in his eye, and he said, “That we’re human.” He never wanted to be a hero. He just wanted to survive.
AMY GOODMAN: A video by UNRWA USA about our next guest, the acclaimed Palestinian photographer Motaz Azaiza. He’s joining us now from Washington, D.C.
Motaz, it’s great to have you with us on Democracy Now! I wanted to go to the picture of — that introduces you on this tour that you took across the United States. You’re sitting in the rubble. So, of course, this is not a photograph that you took, but a picture that a photographer took of you, the photographer Fouad, who was killed. Can you tell us about Fouad and then talk about your work for that 108 days in Gaza since October 7th?
MOTAZ AZAIZA: Thank you for having me, Amy.
His name is Fouad Abu Khamash, and he was a volunteer with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. He was doing his volunteer work documenting the work of the PRCS on the ground saving lives and transferring the injured people to the hospital. He was a dreamer. And that day, it was like a massacre, when he took this picture for me in my town. I was documenting this massacre, and he just shouted to me, “Motaz, just I’ll take a picture of you.”
It was then two months Fouad was killed beside, like, four of his colleagues in the PRCS. They didn’t know that the Israeli tanks will be on Salah al-Din main road in Deir al-Balah city, didn’t expect it. And they just found the Israeli tank in front of them. And he was inside the ambulance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a body for Fouad and other colleagues. Yeah, they opened fired on the ambulance. They killed everyone inside.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: So, Motaz, I want to go now to another photo of yours. This one is of a young girl stuck under rubble after her eight-story building was bombed by Israeli warplanes. Time magazine named it one of its top 10 photos of 2023. The woman lost seven of her family members. She was evacuated to Tunisia. She’s now facing the amputation of her leg. So, tell us about this woman and how you’ve come to advocate for her.
MOTAZ AZAIZA: Actually, she’s a young girl. She’s now 18 years old. And there was, like — the Israeli occupation bombed the eight-story building in Nuseirat refugee camp. So, I was there with other colleagues documenting what’s happening, …