Renowned photojournalist Motaz Azaiza emotionally leaves Gaza after 108 days of tense war coverage

Gaining immense popularity soon after he started explicitly covering the war, Azaiza’s Instagram following surged to a staggering 18 million in just three short months as he documented the daily realities of Israel’s military invasion and relentless bombardment of the besieged strip.

Tuesday morning, the unbowed 24-year-old announced his evacuation from Gaza in a deeply emotional video on social media.

While expressing a mix of relief and sorrow, he said: “This is the last time you will see me with this heavy, stinky (press) vest. I decided to evacuate today. … Hopefully soon I’ll jump back and help to build Gaza again.”

The camera then showed various people, presumably his team members, helping him remove the bullet-proof 'PRESS' jacket he had become synonymous with.

As it came off, he affectionately hugged the team members as they all gathered around him, holding onto him as they fought back tears, "I'll miss these people..." he said, as he walked and shook each one's hand.

Azaiza hinted at multiple reasons for his evacuation, some of which he suggested were known to his audience.

"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 wrote.

The photojournalist has openly spoken about receiving death threats and alleged offers from Israel to stop documenting the aggression in Gaza. 

His journey out of Gaza took him through the Egyptian border to El Arish airport where he was received by a Qatari military jet.

Azaiza told his followers that this was the first time he had flown in an airplane.

"First time to be on a military plane. No, actually, it's the first time to be on a plane..." he wrote on Instagram. 

His announcement video on Instagram has already garnered over 3.2 million likes and hundreds of thousands of supportive comments, including from celebrities like American singer Kehlani.

Citizen journalists like Azaiza have played a crucial role in humanizing the Gaza war.

Through platforms like Instagram and X, Azaiza forged deep emotional bonds with a global audience, spotlighting the human impact of the bloody conflict, sharing daily photos and videos of the extreme horrors of the carnage which has divided global opinion.

The deadly situation in Gaza has also compelled other journalists to leave - Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Gaza, evacuated to Doha for medical treatment earlier this month, following the death of his son Hamza, also a journalist, in an Israeli airstrike. 

Plestia Alaqad, a 22-year-old journalist, also moved to Melbourne in November, prompted by concerns for her family’s well-being.

Despite these poignant departures, several prominent citizen journalists continue to report from Gaza, including 9-year-old Lama Jamous who has over 760k followers on Instagram.