Motaz Azaiza has become the face of Gaza. Through his work with Motaz.org, his fundraising website, he says he's trying to help raise funds for food, shelter, and safety for families in Gaza. But as Townhall reported in late August, some are questioning how Azaiza is managing to travel the world on the salary of a freelance photographer and UNRWA USA content producer.
Now, the self-described "genocide survivor" and "award-winning photojournalist" has given an interview in Arabic that sheds new, problematic, light on what he did on October 7, 2023.
🧵 Two weeks ago, Motaz Azaiza gave an extremely revealing interview in Arabic, including details about what he did on October 7th. On October 7th, he woke up to the sound of rockets and initially didn't know what was happening. He started watching the videos and in his own… https://t.co/kP3NkrwZRa pic.twitter.com/AwMP7td584
— Leslie Kajomovitz (@kikas6652) September 17, 2026
"In summary, according to Motaz's own account, he didn't participate in the slaughter of humans and kidnapping of babies, not because he didn't want to, but because he got distracted and later was afraid to be seen in camera. He also kept evidence of those participating to 'protect their lives,'" wrote Kajomovitz.
There are also inconsistencies in Azaiza's story.
In the interview, he also explains how he went out at 6:30 AM with his camera, which seems to contradict his earlier statement that he was asleep at home when the attack started. But let's ignore that for now.
— Leslie Kajomovitz (@kikas6652) September 17, 2026
He says he was with his neighbor's son, on his way to the Erez… pic.twitter.com/awxruQYRrr
"He says he was with his neighbor's son, on his way to the Erez Crossing," Kajomovitz noted, "when they came across Hamas and the hostages being brutalized, and he started recording. He explains that he didn't participate because he was afraid Israel would get footage of him taking part in the public torture of hostages and “take revenge.” In other words, according to his own account, it wasn't because he didn't want to participate, but because he was afraid of Israel."
Motaz also explains how he was on his way to Erez crossing on his way to invade Israel, when he heard that some of his "journalists" friends were killed, and also got distracted by the Hamas jeep that he instead followed and started recording. According to him, that is what… pic.twitter.com/ZfVSicJpYr
— Leslie Kajomovitz (@kikas6652) September 17, 2026
Azaiza also didn't want Israel to be able to identify the terrorists.
The second reason he gave for not releasing the footage he recorded on October 7th of the hostages being brutalized in the streets of Gaza was to make sure he didn't put those taking part in the crimes “in danger.” He said Israel “could recognize them” and that a “moment of… pic.twitter.com/9qc5cCmxHr
— Leslie Kajomovitz (@kikas6652) September 17, 2026
Ms. Rachel made a video with him.
Ms. Rachel made content with this guy https://t.co/yaKNEbL39m pic.twitter.com/pA2cNZ6wfA
— Bee (@Beebuzzsbd) September 18, 2026
He also visited Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion.
Motaz Azaiza: “Whoever did not respond to Sinwar’s call to go out and engage the enemy everywhere has no right to mourn and boast about the manner of his death.”
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) July 25, 2026
He met with Zohran Mamdani last week. pic.twitter.com/CnBaPowPq9
This is ridiculous and Azaiza should be removed from this country.
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… pic.twitter.com/qJJHtceF0F
— Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (@afalkhatib) September 18, 2026
"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 organization 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 October 7," Alkhatib wrote.