Motaz Azaiza, a 24 year old Palestinian photojournalist from Gaza, has been a prominent figure on socia media for his valiant documentation of the impact of the war in Gaza Strip. He currently has 18.2 million followers on his Instagram account (@motaz_azaiza) where he posts photo and video updates from the ground.

Motaz Azaiza has announced via a video posted on the X platform on 23 January 2024 that he has decided to evacuate from Gaza and that hopefully he will come back to help rebuild Gaza in the future.

So,

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. pic.twitter.com/sIqULe9d5V

— MoTaz (@azaizamotaz9) January 23, 2024

After making his statement, his colleagues can be seen in the video helping him strip off his iconic 'PRESS' vest.

Motaz Azaiza later posts an update on his Instagram story of him in El Arish Airport in Egypt confirming that he is headed to Qatar. He also shares that he boarded a Qatar Emiri Air Force aircraft and has landed in Doha, Qatar on 23 January 2024.

🗞️ On 23 January 2024, Motaz Azaiza, a Palestinian photojournalist who had been documenting the effects of the war in the Gaza Strip, announced on Instagram that he had departed from the besieged area and flown to Qatar on a Qatari military plane from Egypt's Al Arish… pic.twitter.com/6QyHYEPwDr

— ILoveQatar - Live (@ILQLive) January 23, 2024

The reason for his evacuation has not been announced or confirmed. "I had to evacuate for a lot of reasons you all know some of it but not all of it." says Azaiza on X.

Source and cover image credit: Motaz Azaiza

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Cassandra Pallagud

Content Writer

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