It only takes a few minutes of conversation to understand that for Palestinian journalists Motaz Azaiza and Ola Al Zanoun, marching from Gaza was the hardest decision of their lives. It also takes only a few sentences to realize that although they are physically in Madrid today, they are somehow trapped in the Franja River, and that the guilt and immense relief of having marched leads them to pieces.
“I left home for the sake of my children. But when I talk to my mother, who now follows everything, I am overcome with regret. It hurts so much that I would rather write a letter than call,” explained Al-Zanun, 45, with tears in his eyes. In an interview with this periodical in Madrid, he spoke on behalf of all journalists of Franja newspaper Azaiza El Premio, international reporter Los Sin Fronteras (RSF) Spanish newspaper and received this periodical in the evening.
“There are people who despise me for marching towards me. Why did I hurt them? I went because I had the chance, because I’m better alive than dead. Even if I was killed and killed by Israel, he would have told me for a few days if he could. That’s what happened to my colleague,” Azaiza, a photoperiodist for 26 years, added bitterly.
Mr. Azaiza and Mr. Al-Zanoun also share the painful conviction that “he has done nothing to protect journalists from Gaza.” “The world cannot imagine the difficulties they face in order to continue reporting every day.”
“If Israel saw the international press entering Gaza, we would not be talking about these death tolls.”
Hello, Al Zanoun, Palestinian journalist
Hello, Mr. Zanoun pulls out the sheets of paper he wrote for this interview, containing the latest data on the horrors that have gripped the press in Gaza. More than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, when Israel began bombing the surrounding area after a bloody attack by Hamas in its territory. “By my count, 252 journalists were violently killed, with more than 400 victims, of which only 15 are believed to have been killed.” They were evacuated and 150 media workshops were destroyed,” explains the mother of five, who is in charge of RSF documentation and research from Egypt, where she has lived for more than a year.
“If Israel saw the international press entering Gaza, we would not be talking about these death tolls,” he declares sadly. For this reporter, journalists in Gaza work in a meticulous and flawless manner. “But as an act of revenge, Israel killed reporters, especially those who had more followers on the network or whose work centered on humanitarian concerns, citing incidents such as the Anas al-Sharif incident,” he explained, referring to a reporter from Qatar’s Al Jazeera chain that Israel killed in a single attack in August 2025.
Now, “Journalists in Gaza are suffering because they don’t call for work. After all, they don’t pay to send the news. People quickly forget,” laments Azaiza, who lives in Doha.
“How many people live in Gaza these days?” he asks. “The fire was loudly declared and the world was moving in the opposite direction, because this was a bigger crisis for the international community. That is why I believe that nothing will help Gaza more than the Gaza Strip itself,” he added, congratulating that thanks to the RSF award, he will at least be able to talk about the situation in Franja again.
Israel and Hamas woke up to heavy fire a month ago, but since then Israel has killed more than 200 Palestinians, continues to militarily occupy more than half of its borders, and humanitarian aid entering the territory remains insufficient to meet the vast needs of its millions of residents.
break the story
Al-Zanun admitted he would have won the RSF award “under different circumstances”, but congratulated the Palestinian journalist on being recognized for his work. “The honorable reception with the heart and mind remains even when you are not there,” he says.
Reporters especially want to remember female journalists, who not only have to face the same difficulties as men, but also face additional obstacles in carrying out their work. “In our culture, it’s very difficult to live and work in a camp store without anyone’s privacy. It’s also difficult to let go of your children. I brought my 11-year-old daughter because I had in mind a co-worker who lost her child on the job and couldn’t support her,” he explains.
Journalists in Gaza are now suffering because they are not called to work. Don’t pay to have news sent to you, we forget quickly
Motaz Azaiza, Palestinian journalist
RSF and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ, an acronym in English) claim that some journalists from Gaza are white military personnel directly from Israel and are accusing them of being members of Hamas, even though they do not offer corruption. Azaiza and Al Zanoun know what it is like to live with this fear. “We recently received a call from Israeli intelligence saying they were bombing our house, even though they knew we were not inside. They said it was because we were journalists,” recalls Al-Zanoun, who is married to Agence France-Presse reporter Adel Al-Zanoun.
Journalists also remember that when they had to move to the frontier south, people who also wanted to buy houses were journalists and did so for fear of siding with Israel.
Despite the hardships and sacrifices that have to be made, Azaiza praised the Palestinian journalists for their “success in defeating Israel’s efforts to control the Israeli narrative and all information coming out of Gaza” since October 2023.
However, Azaiza did not hold back in his words, criticizing the reporter’s sacrifice as being hampered by certain actions of the Islamist movement Hamas, which has de facto ruled Gaza since 2007. Azaiza specifically cited the executions of suspected traitors in recent weeks.
“We do not understand that the world is targeting us and that we cannot act like that. The world supports Palestine not because of Hamas, but because of the work of our fellow journalists, and partly because of the solidarity that has awakened the population. And these images reflect much of what we have achieved,” he criticizes.
Travel between Israel and Hamas
“We are witnessing the great irresponsibility of the Hamas government. They have no plans, do nothing and are missing. Since October 2023, no speeches have been made to Gaza residents. Their speeches were directed to foreigners,” he continued.
Azaiza, who is very popular on the network and has more than 15 million followers, tries to explain how complicated it is to move between Gaza’s several waters, but regrets how easy it is to judge certain statements and the silence of people like him. “I have to be careful what I say and do. Israel can forbid me to return to Gaza permanently, harm my family, kill me. This is an occupation. They have power,” he explains.
The criticisms he receives, in the case of Palestinians in the diaspora, are dueled and recognized by him. “If I’m accused by Israel of being a terrorist and a member of Hamas, but Hamas supporters are accusing me of being a traitor, who am I after all?” he asks.
Since leaving Gaza, Mr. Azaiza has dedicated himself to mobilizing support and resources around the world to meet the needs of Palestinians in the Franha River. It has raised 500,000 euros, first through UNRWA, the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees, and since a few weeks ago through its own foundation. “Dios opened the door for himself, and now he’s opening the door for others,” he says.
The money collected will be used to buy blankets, food and medicine for people in Gaza, and to support Palestinians who managed to escape from Franja but faced many hardships in life. “I don’t just believe in Instagram posts, I believe in actions. For example, I managed to help 33 medical students from Gaza in South Africa and support their studies. They are 33 future doctors,” he claims.
“Help is the antidote to guilt,” admits this young man. “I don’t want anyone to profit from this genocide. I don’t need it. My fame? I use it for Gaza, not for myself. I just want it to go away and disappear and go back to my life, my camera, my photography,” he concluded.
About The Author
