Transcript [00:00] An award-winning photographic journalist [00:02] who spent the first four months after [00:04] October 7th documenting the war from [00:06] inside the Gaza Strip has made one of [00:09] the most stunning admissions regarding [00:11] the supposed genocide in Gaza. For over [00:15] 2 years, the world condemned Israel for [00:16] not allowing journalists into Gaza. But [00:19] as someone who personally went into Gaza [00:21] a year after October 7th and right in [00:23] the middle of the war, let me tell you, [00:25] most journalists did not want to go [00:27] there. and Israel's claim that they [00:29] could not protect journalists if they [00:30] did go there was entirely valid. There [00:33] was one man, however, who seems to have [00:35] had unfettered access to the Gaza Strip [00:38] after October 7th. Motaz Aiza, an Arab [00:42] photographer who unquestionably sided [00:44] with Kamas and still seems to have side [00:46] with Kamas even today, has been the eyes [00:49] of the world into Gaza for over 2 years. [00:52] He has millions of social media [00:53] followers. He was named one of Time [00:55] magazine's 100 most influential people. [00:58] He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize [01:00] and he's been featured by media networks [01:02] all over the world and heard by tens of [01:05] thousands of people in live audiences. [01:08] According to the Jerusalem Post, he's [01:10] one of the most recognizable figures in [01:12] the October 7th war. And more recently, [01:15] Motaz went on tour in America and around [01:18] the world, making speeches and appearing [01:20] in the media. He also appeared with Miss [01:22] Rachel, who's a controversial figure for [01:25] her biased sympathy and propaganda in [01:27] support of Kamas where she called Motaz [01:30] her friend. First, before we get into [01:32] his stunning revelations on a recent [01:34] Arabic podcast, uh some facts about [01:38] Motaz Aiza. He spent the first four [01:40] months after October 7th documenting [01:42] what happened inside the Gaza Strip. And [01:45] then he fled from Gaza and today lives [01:47] in Qatar um due to his claims of being [01:51] suppressed by Kamas and he was in fear [01:53] for his safety and well-being. and he [01:55] spent the last couple of years making [01:57] lots of appearances all over the world, [01:59] even speaking in front of live [02:00] audiences, uh, in front of thousands, if [02:03] not tens of thousands of people, talking [02:05] about what he saw and heard during his [02:08] time in Gaza. A few weeks ago, however, [02:10] he appeared on an Arabic podcast where [02:12] he disclosed some information that he's [02:15] apparently been holding back for 2 [02:17] years. So, the Jerusalem Post ran an [02:20] article a couple of weeks ago where they [02:22] quoted Motaz Aiza from a three and a [02:24] half hour podcast he appeared on in uh [02:27] Arabic. In the podcast, Aiza is quoted [02:29] as saying, quote, "I saw the vehicle of [02:32] the Alcasam brigades and there were [02:35] Israeli captives there. People got out, [02:37] watched, beat them, hit them, and I [02:39] followed them and filmed. But I did not [02:42] publish those videos." Why not? I [02:45] understood that Israel would use those [02:46] videos to identify every person who was [02:48] there and eliminate them. I did not want [02:50] to be responsible, even indirectly, for [02:53] the deaths of those people. So, in his [02:55] own admission, Motaz is saying that he [02:57] deliberately held back evidence that [02:59] showed kamas and kamas sympathizers [03:01] abusing and beating Israeli hostages. [03:04] Now, as I understand it, it's standard [03:06] journalism around the world uh to remain [03:10] as neutral as possible in conflicts, [03:12] right? and just document uh photograph [03:15] and present that documentation to the [03:17] world. But here he's holding back [03:20] information. Uh and in this particular [03:23] situation, it appears like he saw [03:25] Israeli hostages. Um and he saw hostages [03:28] that were in Gaza, maybe even knew where [03:30] some of them were, but did not do [03:33] anything to help them. He went on to [03:35] say, quote, "Philtographers in Gaza have [03:37] become accustomed to lowering their [03:38] cameras the moment some someone says [03:40] something bad about kamas because anyone [03:43] who dares to show reality is persecuted [03:46] relentlessly." Now, whether or not Aiza [03:49] was an active supporter of what kamas [03:51] did in Gaza or not, it is true that [03:53] anyone who dared to publish the truth [03:55] about what was happening in Gaza was in [03:57] danger of severe persecution and even [03:59] possibly being killed. The question is, [04:02] now that Motaz has left Gaza and he's no [04:04] longer in danger, why has he not [04:07] revealed the truth for the last 2 years? [04:08] And the answer to that question appears [04:10] to be, in his own words, quote, I [04:13] support armed resistance, but one that [04:15] brings results, or at least gives me the [04:17] feeling that my life is valuable in the [04:19] eyes of the resistance. Why should a [04:21] Palestinian be cheap in the eyes of [04:23] Palestinians themselves? You're making [04:24] people hate the resistance with your own [04:26] hands. [04:28] So, he appears to be criticizing Hamas, [04:30] but he also doesn't clarify what armed [04:33] resistance he supports or not. In other [04:35] words, he most likely supported the [04:38] armed resistance that happened on [04:40] October 7th where 1,200 people were [04:42] shot, stabbed, wounded, captured, [04:44] tortured, and killed nearly 3 years ago [04:48] today. Although he did clearly state his [04:51] support for armed resistance, Montas is [04:53] also critical of what kamas has done to [04:55] the Palestinian people, Gaza. He said, [04:57] quote, "From October 7th until today, [04:59] show me one Palestinian who lives in [05:01] Gazim was protected by Kamas's weapons. [05:04] No one in Gaza received protection from [05:06] those weapons." And then he addressed [05:08] the fact that Kamas didn't lay down its [05:10] weapons for over two years. He said, [05:11] quote, "I'm not waiting 2 years to judge [05:13] whether Kamas made mistakes. I see the [05:16] mistake in front of my eyes when people [05:17] are dying every day. Now they're talking [05:20] about an agreement in which they will [05:21] agree to lay down their weapons. Talking [05:23] about a potential deal uh or [05:26] negotiation. He said, quote, "You could [05:28] have agreed to that already on October [05:30] 11th, 2023. Why was it so important that [05:33] tens of thousands would be killed? On [05:35] what table did you put the Palestinian [05:37] issue? You brought us back to the Middle [05:40] Ages." To be clear, a man who has been [05:43] the eyes of the world regarding what has [05:45] happened in Gaza for the last couple of [05:46] years has been celebrated by millions as [05:48] one of the most recognizable figures in [05:50] the war and was one of the only [05:52] journalists to be documenting what [05:53] happened in Gaza from the inside. Was [05:55] nominated as time's most uh one of times [05:58] most 100 influential people was [06:00] nominated for Nobel Pri Peace Prize. [06:02] This man has held back evidence of [06:04] kamas's crimes against hostages and [06:07] against humanity for over two years. He [06:10] potentially had information and key [06:12] proof of the living hostages in Gaza and [06:14] did nothing to cooperate with Israel. [06:16] And he refused to publish images and [06:18] videos that would incriminate kamas even [06:21] after leaving the Gaza Strip and living [06:23] abroad. And arguably, he admitted that [06:28] the suffering and everything that's [06:30] happened in Gaza over the last few years [06:32] is 100% Hamas's fault and is not [06:35] genocide by Israel. We'll get back to [06:39] the rest of today's video in a second, [06:40] but I wanted to quickly tell you that [06:42] the Israel Guys has a second YouTube [06:45] channel, and you should go subscribe [06:47] right now. It's called The Israel Guys [06:49] Outdoors. Uh it's videos of our actual [06:52] work, Boots on the Ground, all [06:53] throughout Jerusalem, Judea, and [06:55] Samaria. And these videos are a ton of [06:58] fun. Nate Waller, who you've seen here [07:01] on the channel, uh takes you to the [07:03] front lines all over Judea and Samaria, [07:05] documenting the projects that we're [07:06] doing everywhere with our volunteers, [07:08] with hundreds of people from around the [07:10] world, introducing you to the farmers, [07:12] the pioneers, the heroes of Israel's [07:14] heartland. And he does it in a really, [07:16] really fun way. But I'm going to show [07:18] you a quick 30 secondond clip from that [07:20] channel to get you excited. Watch it [07:22] right here. [07:23] >> Good morning. Do you know where we're [07:25] going today? [07:26] >> The worst. [07:26] >> Chris the worst. I'm going to be singing [07:28] the Psalms of Ascent on my bus. [07:30] >> All right. All right. [07:33] >> I'd say ALL RIGHT, FOLKS. WE'RE IN [07:36] JERUSALEM. [07:37] MOST OF the group made it, [07:40] >> but we got right to the gate and they [07:41] closed it right in our faces like smack. [07:43] Yeah, that's it. It was so rude. [07:45] >> So rude. Um Zion's gate and uh we [07:49] figured out that um just maybe we can [07:52] scan this little QR code up there and uh [07:56] get some tickets. We made it through [07:57] there and through the gate. Now we're [07:59] headed up. Oh, through the stairs on [08:02] Zion's Gate there. That's pretty [08:04] awesome. Yo, what's up? What are you [08:06] shooting there? Look at there. Look, [08:08] loads of people down there. As you can [08:10] see, we're just starting out with this [08:11] channel. So, we need your help. Every [08:13] single one of you, we need you to go [08:14] over to the Israel guys outdoor and [08:16] subscribe and hit those notifications [08:17] right now so we can get to 10,000 [08:20] subscribers. By the way, Motaz Aiza is [08:23] someone that Miss Rachel, you guys have [08:26] heard of her, recently called her [08:28] friend. This is the man who, even though [08:30] he's now criticizing Kamas, has also [08:31] publicly stated that he supports armed [08:33] resistance. In other words, what [08:35] happened on October 7th. In the same [08:37] Arabic podcast that I referenced [08:39] earlier, uh, Motaz Aiza revealed some [08:42] other notable things about kamas. He [08:45] said, quote, "Suddenly, I found myself [08:47] being attacked from all directions. They [08:49] take the details of a specific person, [08:51] publish his phone number in the group, [08:53] talking about a WhatsApp group that was [08:54] run by kamas officials and instruct [08:57] online activists to attack him, curse [08:59] him, and make his life miserable. This [09:01] is organized behavior, a real mob when I [09:03] uploaded a video in which I civilian [09:05] could be heard cursing kamas. I faced [09:07] enormous backlash. Photographers in Gaza [09:10] have become accustomed to lowering their [09:12] cameras the moment someone says [09:14] something bad about kamas because anyone [09:16] who dares to show reality is persecuted. [09:18] relentlessly. Basically, what Aiza is [09:21] saying here is that even though he was a [09:23] journalist inside of Gaza, he couldn't [09:25] publish anything while inside of Gaza uh [09:28] for fear of being persecuted by Hamas [09:31] and everything was strictly controlled [09:33] and tightly uh controlled by kamas [09:35] officials as to what they were allowed [09:37] to publish, what they weren't allowed [09:38] to, and if anything slipped out that was [09:40] in the least bit anti or negative about [09:43] kamas, they were persecuted [09:45] relentlessly. The question is, he left [09:48] after 4 months. So, what has held him [09:50] back from publishing his evidence and [09:52] videos and photos that he's had for the [09:54] last 2 years? According to an article in [09:57] the Jerusalem Post, uh, talking about [09:59] Motaza in the podcast and the things he [10:02] admitted, they said, quote, "The [10:03] photographer said he experienced Kamas's [10:05] suppression apparatus firsthand. He [10:07] described a WhatsApp group called [10:08] SMARTRT, which he said is managed by a [10:10] kamas media official at the Rafa [10:12] crossing and used to organize online [10:14] campaigns against journalists who [10:16] challenged the group's narrative. After [10:19] the publication of the Arabic podcast in [10:22] which Motaz Aiza admitted all of these [10:24] things that we've talked about and [10:26] subsequent outcries in the media, [10:28] although definitely not in media, you [10:30] know, mainstream media like Haritz, New [10:32] York Times, etc. Aiza took to his own [10:35] social media to deny that he ever hid [10:37] evidence of Kamas's atrocities in Gaza. [10:39] He said, quote, "As for the video I [10:41] recorded of Israeli hostages being held [10:44] by Kamas, I filmed it inside Gaza while [10:46] doing my job as a photojournalist. I [10:49] chose not to publish it because I feared [10:51] that revealing the location could put [10:53] Palestinian civilians in the area at [10:55] risk." Why didn't he want to publish the [10:57] footage? In his own words, he said, [10:59] quote, "Because I did not want to ruin [11:02] the lives of the people who were filmed. [11:04] I understood that Israel would use those [11:06] videos to identify every person who was [11:08] there and eliminate them. I did not want [11:10] to be responsible, even indirectly, for [11:13] the deaths of those people in exchange [11:14] for a few likes and views online." [11:18] What's interesting that you'll note here [11:19] is he doesn't he doesn't actually say at [11:21] that time that he was in fear of kamas. [11:24] That's something he claimed later. He [11:26] said when he first filmed this footage [11:28] and filmed these atrocities, his main [11:31] concern was the people that he filmed. [11:33] And uh while as a Isiza claims that he [11:36] didn't want to endanger the lives of [11:38] civilians, he was not clear on whether [11:40] or not the the people who he filmed he [11:42] considered uh the people who he filmed [11:45] beating hostages, he whether or not he [11:47] considered them civilians or not. Uh, so [11:49] it's possible he was actually just [11:52] hiding evidence and uh covering up for [11:56] actual terrorists in the Gaza Strip. In [11:58] the words of one of the Israeli hostages [12:00] who was released early on in the war [12:02] after October 7th, there was not one [12:05] single civilian inside of Gaza. [12:08] Aiza went on to claim that quote around [12:11] 20 minutes later, the site was struck by [12:13] Israeli warplanes, killing the hostages [12:15] along with kamas gunmen who were there. [12:18] At this time, I'm not aware that there's [12:20] any confirmation that his above claim [12:22] was was true, but it is something that [12:24] he claims. He also denied taking part in [12:27] October 7th, saying, quote, "I was not [12:29] part of it in any way. I was in Gaza [12:32] doing my job documenting what was [12:33] happening in front of me." As I [12:36] mentioned earlier, however, as clear, he [12:39] supports armed resistance. And in his [12:40] denial about hiding incriminating [12:42] evidence, he also made sure to make it [12:44] clear that when he criticized kamas, he [12:46] wants to be really clear that the [12:48] suffering in Gaza was solely the [12:50] occupation's fault, meaning Israel. [12:54] Although Motaza appears to be [12:55] backtracking on many of his claims, [12:57] including denying hiding incriminating [12:59] footage of Kamas from the world, his own [13:02] words could not be more clear. On the [13:04] one hand, he blames Kamas for the [13:06] intense suffering that's taken place in [13:08] Gaza over the last 3 years, saying that [13:10] the war could have ended 4 days after [13:12] October 7th if only Kamas would have [13:14] surrendered. On the other hand, he [13:15] clearly states that he supports armed [13:18] resistance while not condemning the [13:20] kamas atrocities that took place on [13:22] october 7th and by his own admission [13:25] hiding evidence of those atrocities. The [13:28] real question is this. If he's correct [13:30] that the war could have ended four days [13:32] after it began, does that mean that the [13:34] claims of genocide are completely false? [13:37] Just use your own brain for a second [13:39] here. What would have needed to happen [13:41] for the war to end 4 days after it [13:43] started on October 11th? Number one, [13:46] Kamas would have had to release all the [13:47] hostages. Check. Kamas would have had to [13:50] surrender. Check. Kamas would have had [13:52] to lay down their arms and agree to any [13:54] other terms Israel put forth. Check. [13:57] Could those things have happened? And in [14:00] which side and whose court would those [14:02] things have been in? Well, come on, [14:04] guys. Use your brain. 100% in Kamas's [14:08] court. Israel called for the above over [14:11] and over and over again. If they would [14:13] have agreed and and if Hamas would have [14:15] agreed to it, the war could have been [14:17] over and all the suffering and loss of [14:18] life that's happened in the last 3 years [14:21] could have been avoided. As Israel [14:23] commemorates the three-year anniversary [14:25] of October 7th this week, it's important [14:27] to clearly call out the truth and the [14:29] reality of what really took place over [14:31] the last 3 years. Never forget, always [14:35] remember, call out evil no matter when [14:38] and where it took place. Always stand [14:41] with God's land and people. Guys, don't [14:44] forget to check out our second YouTube [14:45] channel, The Israel Guys Outdoors. You [14:47] can click the link in the description [14:49] below to subscribe and turn on those [14:51] notifications. We are publishing a new [14:52] video on that channel every single week. [14:55] Let me know what you thought about [14:56] today's topic in the comment section [14:58] below. Make sure you subscribed and as [15:00] always, thanks for watching.
