War on Gaza: Photojournalist Motaz Azaiza evacuates to Qatar

Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza said on Tuesday that he would be leaving the war-torn Gaza Strip for Qatar.

Azaiza has been one of a handful of key individuals on the ground in the besieged enclave bringing live updates to his more than 18 million followers on Instagram and over a million on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I had to evacuate for a lot of reasons you all know some of it but not all of it,” he wrote on social media, as he prepared to leave.

“Thank you all. Pray for Gaza.”

Prior to the beginning of the current round of fighting on 7 October, Azaiza mainly posted travel and cultural content - however, since the start of the war, he has been documenting atrocities carried out in Gaza.

In an emotional video, he said of his press jacket “this is the last time you will see me with this heavy, stinky vest."

At least 25,295 Palestinian people - mainly women and children - have been killed by Israel since its military operations started in the wake of a Hamas assault that left 1,140 people dead.

Since 9 October, Gaza has been plunged into a humanitarian crisis, as Israel cut off all water, fuel, electricity and food supplies for the Strip.

International bodies and media rights groups have warned that the war has been one of the bloodiest ever for journalists.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 83 journalists and media workers have been confirmed dead, the vast majority Palestinians, while the Euro Med Monitor rights group has listed 119 journalists killed in Gaza.