Gazan Photographer Motaz Azaiza Withheld Oct. 7 Footage to Protect Palestinians, Criticizes Hamas Leadership

Motaz Azaiza, a Gaza-based photographer and journalist who has gained international recognition, says he filmed Israeli captives being beaten by a Gazan mob on October 7, 2023, but chose not to publish the footage because he feared it would expose the Palestinians shown to lethal retaliation.

Withheld Footage: A Deliberate Choice

"I saw the vehicle of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and there were Israeli captives there," Azaiza recalled in an interview on the podcast Taqarrab. "People got out, watched, beat them, hit them, and I followed them and filmed. But I did not publish those videos. Why? Because I did not want to ruin the lives of the people who were filmed."

I understood that Israel would use those videos to identify every person who was there and eliminate them. I did not want to be responsible, even indirectly, for the deaths of those people in exchange for a few likes and views online.

Public Criticism of Hamas

Azaiza, who has been named among TIME magazine's 100 most influential people and has been mentioned as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, used the interview to openly criticize Hamas's leadership. While describing himself as a supporter of armed Palestinian resistance, he argued that resistance must be purposeful and protective of civilians.

"From October 7 until today, show me one Palestinian who lives in Gaza and was protected by Hamas's weapons? No one in Gaza received protection from those weapons," he said, adding that Hamas's prolonged refusal to accept deals cost many lives.

Motaz Azaiza attends the 2024 TIME100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 25, 2024 in New York City. (credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)

I am not waiting two years to judge whether Hamas made mistakes. I see the mistake in front of my eyes, when people are dying every day. Now they are talking about an agreement in which they will agree to lay down their weapons. You could have agreed to that already on October 11, 2023.

Suppression, Online Campaigns and the 'Smart' Group

Azaiza described experiencing pressure and censorship inside Gaza, including what he said was an organized campaign coordinated through a WhatsApp group called "Smart," which he says is run by a Hamas media official at the Rafah crossing. He said the group circulated personal details and encouraged online harassment of journalists who challenged the official narrative.

They take the details of a specific person, publish his phone number in the group and instruct online activists to attack him, curse him and make his life miserable. This is organized behavior, a real mob.

Exile and Psychological Toll

Azaiza left Gaza about four months after the war began and now lives in Qatar. Despite international visibility — meetings with world leaders, a high-profile meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and appearances on major stages including the 2024 TIME100 Gala — he described feeling hollow, traumatized and frustrated by the internal Palestinian situation.

I travel around the world, speaking in front of thousands, sitting at Nobel ceremonies, and I cannot be happy. I live with constant burning trauma.

Personal Reflections

Azaiza spoke candidly about his conflicted feelings toward Gaza: deep love mixed with pain and disillusionment with leaders he says have failed ordinary people. He warned that the human cost of political choices has been immense, and that journalists and civilians have borne the brunt of those consequences.

Note: All quotes are taken from Azaiza's interview on the Taqarrab podcast and reflect his personal account and perspective.