Motaz Had to Evacuate.
No one knows where he’s going, but not everyone is as fortunate as he is.
Motaz Azaiza, a Palestinian journalist from Gaza, has evacuated Gaza. He posted the tweet above on January 22, 2024 at 9:09 PM Pacific Time. Multiple people help him doff his “heavy, stinky” press vest as he exchanged heartfelt goodbyes with his fellow Gazans. A dark blue Kia of an unknown model with a white license plate can be seen in the video, but it is not known if this is the car Motaz evacuated in.
After over 100 days of witnessing his friends and colleagues become victims of genocide, Motaz has served as an eyewitness journalist in Gaza. He covered events from the chaos and scarcity in Gazan hospitals to being surrounded by Israeli tanks. As not only a journalist but an eyewitness to the genocide, his posts on social media serve as vital information for those looking in from the outside world.
Motaz may have been able to evacuate, but that does not change the situation for most people in the Gaza Strip. As of now, only the Rafah crossing bordering Egypt is open and only allows limited evacuations. Not only that, but the process of not only getting to the crossing but into Egypt is difficult, if not outright impossible, for most Gazans. One woman said that she had attempted to leave Gaza four times prior to an attempt made in November of 2023.
Not only is leaving Gaza with no guarantee of the right to return dangerous with the risk of airstrikes, starvation, and disease, but the decision to leave one’s family and friends is not one that is taken lightly. Even in the developed world during times of peace, most people need to do extensive planning to leave their country. Many of these people do not have the resources or connections to be able to uproot their lives and start anew without substantial help.
