Career
2023
Before the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Azaiza's profile on Instagram had approximately 25,000 followers. [5] [9] On 13 October, his Instagram account was restricted, but access was restored the following day. [10] His follower count had increased to one million by 17 October, [11] nine million by October 30, [3] 12.5 million by November 3, [9] and 13 million by November 7. [5] As of 27 December, Azaiza's Instagram profile had 17.5 million followers, [12] with the number reaching over 18 million by January 2024. [13]
In November 2023, GQ Middle East named him their Man of the Year, with editor Ahmad Ali Swaid stating that "he reminds us that no matter who we are or where we're from, it's us – ordinary people, men, and women – who have the power to enact that very change that we want to see." [14] [15]
Azaiza's photograph, "Seeing Her Through My Camera," part of his extensive coverage of Gaza during the Gaza war, was listed among Time 's top 10 photos of 2023. In late October, following an Israeli airstrike, Azaiza used a low shutter speed on his camera to capture the moment, revealing a young girl trapped under rubble at the Al Nusairat refugee camp. This technique allowed him to witness her in the darkness where the naked eye couldn't confirm her condition before a Civil Defense rescue worker's light illuminated her face. [16]
2024
In January 2024, Azaiza appeared on Mehdi Hasan's final show with MSNBC to discuss the dangers of reporting from Gaza under Israel's bombardment. [17] Later that month, after 108 days of reporting, Azaiza and some of his family evacuated to Egypt and then Doha, Qatar via Al-Arish Airport, their first time on a plane. [18] Azaiza subsequently began meeting with ministers, diplomats, and media figures to share his accounts, frustrated that his attempts to broadcast what was happening in Gaza had not changed things. [7]
On his first civilian flight, Azaiza flew to Istanbul on 26 February 2024, beginning his travels to "show, tell and speak more". [19] The following day, he accepted his 2023 TRT World Citizen Award. [20] He then went to Geneva, Switzerland on 8 March for the FIFDH, appearing on a panel with Farah Nabulsi and Mohamed Jabaly at the premiere of Jabaly's film Life is Beautiful. [21] Azaiza visited American universities for talks in April, [22] [23] including a Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) panel, [24] and went to London in May, where he joined protests and gave a speech on Nakba Day. [25]
Azaiza was featured on Time's list of the 100 most influential people of 2024 in April. [26] In June, Azaiza was awarded the Freedom Prize in Normandy, France. [27]
In August, English band Massive Attack invited Azaiza to speak on stage at their Bristol concert, which garnered an audience of over 30 thousand. [28] He also paid visit to Derry, where he was welcomed by mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr and interviewed by actress Jamie-Lee O'Donnell. [29] Azaiza was one of four Palestinian journalists to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. [30] In September, he featured on the BBC News programme HARDTalk . [31]
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