Twenty-year-old Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza, who has become Gaza's voice, has been awarded with Freedom Prize 2024 for his fearless efforts in Gaza war coverage, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.
Photojournalist Motaz Azaiza was named one of the ‘100 Most Influential People of 2024 by Time magazine for acting as the “world’s eyes and ears”.
Motaz risked his life for his profession and love for Palestinians and now working as a global ambassador.
While sharing about his achievement on social media, Aziza wrote: "I wished to be bestowed with this Freedom Prize the moment my country is free from the Israeli occupation.
"Keep in mind that no one is free until Palestine is free.
"I evacuated my beloved country Gaza, but I promised myself to make our message reach the world that we are people looking for our freedom and we are not terrorists.
"Please do not stop talking and reporting about Gaza.
"Thank you all very much."
"I promised myself to make our message reach the world that we are people looking for our freedom and we are not terrorists.
"Today I received the 2024 Freedom Prize awarded by the Normandy region.
"Thank you Freedom Prize and Thank you to everyone who voted for me, I am only fulfilling my duty to convey the unbearable atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation against my people.
"I appreciate this opportunity and your support to free press and speech, especially at this point of time when Palestinian journalists are under such threat in Gaza, but all that I care about is to take this opportunity to represent my homeland."
In January 2024 he emotionally announced his departure from the war-torn Gaza Strip in a video that has been circulating across social platforms.
In the shared video, the photojournalist expressed his decision to evacuate and hoped to return soon to help rebuild Gaza.
"This is the last time you'll see me with this heavy, stinky [press] vest," Azaiza said in the heartfelt clip on his social media.
Taking to ‘X’ formerly Twitter he wrote, “I had to evacuate for a lot of reasons you all know some of it but not all of it.”
“Thank you all. Pray for Gaza”, he added.
Azaiza has been one of the key media forces in the besieged Gaza Strip, bringing live updates of the Israel-Hamas war to his more than 18 million followers on Instagram and over a million on X.
Azaiza’s Instagram posts are often flooded with comments asking about his well-being, especially when he hasn’t posted on his social media for a while. He has often posted videos and gone live on his Instagram documenting Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, where he can be seen sheltering amid the rubble of demolished homes.
Azaiza’s work initially focused on photographing everyday life in Gaza, before he began covering Israel’s wars in Gaza in 2014 and 2021.
His Instagram following has grown exponentially from 25,000 to 18 million in just over 100 days since Israel began its military campaign in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack.