‘I swear I’ll never forgive anyone’: Palestinian journalist calls for international protection

Motaz Azaiza, a prominent Palestinian journalist from Gaza, who has been at the forefront of covering the war on Gaza, has published a statement calling on international protection for journalists.

In a post on Instagram, he writes: “If something happens to me I will never forgive anyone who is able to stop this madness war and he didn’t.”

He also called on TV channels to treat him as a person and not “content,” and asked them to stop texting and calling him for interviews. “There is no more to say or to clarify for the people than what I witnessed and captured,” he says. 
Many of his videos show the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as the impact of Israel’s heavy bombing on children. 

“Yesterday, I saw the correspondent of Al-Jazeera when he lost his whole family and believe it or not I was going to delete everything here, I don’t want to lose more for just showing the world,” he added.

“This is  not a surrender post but just to be clear, I’m an independent photographer who is covering what is going on in the Gaza Strip, I’m not related to any media, militant groups or anything else.”

Typically, Azaiza posts travel and cultural content, however, since the start of the war he has been documenting atrocities carried out in Gaza. He has amassed 8.9 million followers, and has become a vital news source for anyone following developments.