From Gaza’s Front Lines to New York: Motaz Azaiza Turns Photojournalism and Trauma into Humanitarian Action

From the rubble of Gaza to humanitarian work in the U.S.

Motaz Azaiza spent 107 days documenting the devastation of his childhood neighborhoods in Gaza, capturing raw, unedited images of life under relentless airstrikes. Because many international outlets could not operate inside the enclave, Azaiza and other local journalists recorded the conflict's earliest and most devastating scenes.

Local health officials in Gaza report that more than 68,000 people have been killed in the past two years, and with over 90% of residential buildings destroyed, most residents have been displaced. Azaiza says he considers himself fortunate to be alive: "My life is worth more now than if I was dead," he told reporters, adding that countless victims' names go unspoken.

Fleeing home, finding a mission

Twenty-one months after leaving Gaza with his immediate family — first to Qatar and now living in New York — Azaiza has focused on relief efforts. He says he has partnered with aid groups, helped raise roughly $60 million and launched the Motaz Foundation to provide essentials such as food, clean water, blankets and temporary shelter. On Instagram he called the effort "a candle in the darkness," urging those in need to contact the foundation directly.

"Maybe this makes me forget the mental suffering that I’m in... The moment I wire funds to people and get aid, support, and food, I feel high!"

He describes a complex mix of emotions — purpose and exhilaration when aid reaches people, and persistent trauma and survivor's guilt when he remembers friends and neighbors who were killed. "My soul is turned off," he said. He also reported receiving anonymous death threats shortly before leaving Gaza and acknowledges how close he came to being killed.

Recognition born of suffering

Azaiza says he always wanted to be a photographer, preferring market scenes and children on the beach, but violence pushed him into frontline photojournalism. His work documenting Israel's response to the October 7, 2023 attacks brought him international attention: a photo he took on October 31, 2023 of a woman trapped in a pancaked building at Nuseirat refugee camp was named one of Time magazine's top 10 photographs of the year. He also amassed more than 15 million followers on Instagram.

Yet the acclaim brought little joy. "It’s hard to celebrate when your community’s suffering is what created the opportunity," he said. He has learned that reporting on Gaza is inevitably politicized and that praise can quickly turn to online abuse, which he says corrodes from the inside. "The keyboard warriors... this is how Israel (can) win. They don’t need to divide us, we’re already divided," he added.

Where he stands on the conflict

Since the October 7 attack, more than 240 journalists have been killed in Gaza, making it one of the deadliest conflicts for the press, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists; Israel rejects claims that it targets reporters. Azaiza has been outspoken about his desire for the killing to stop. "I just wanted the genocide to stop," he said, noting international calls for action and references to an independent UN inquiry that concluded in September that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza — a finding Israel rejects.

Hopes for a quieter life

For now, Azaiza is focused on humanitarian work but lives in limbo, dreaming of returning to a rebuilt Gaza and of a quieter life. He has said he would like to start a family, perhaps serve in public life, and — most simply — to photograph wildlife instead of human suffering. "I want to be Tarzan with a camera... No humans anymore, only animals," he said, expressing a deep wish to move away from chronic exposure to trauma.

Whether he returns to Gaza or continues his humanitarian efforts from abroad, Azaiza is trying to transform his experience of loss and witnessing into ongoing support for those left behind.