Has the West been taken in by Hamas’ lies and anti Israeli narrative?

Did you read the statement he put out regarding this?

Did you check your news sources before jumping on the bandwagon?

The FDD: Media outlets and research institutions frequently characterize it as neoconservative or hawkish, with a strong focus on pro-Israel advocacy.

New York Post: Media observers and media watchdogs characterize the New York Post as a right-leaning tabloid with a generally pro-Israel editorial stance

Motaz’s statement:

Motaz Azaiza's Clarifying Statement

• Denial of Distortion: In his official statement, Azaiza asserted that his words were "distorted, mistranslated, and taken out of context". 1]
• Nature of the WhatsApp Group: He clarified that participation in the government update group did not mean journalists belonged to or were controlled by Hamas; receiving official updates was simply part of standard reporting work. 1]
• Stance on Hamas and Israel: Azaiza emphasized that he has the right to criticize Hamas as a governing authority, but maintained that his domestic political criticisms do not excuse or erase the mass destruction and deaths caused by Israeli military actions in Gaza

See above

Its on his own social media pages but I have copied and pasted it below. It's long sorry.
Statement by Mu'taz Azzaizah – September 20, 2026

In recent days, there has been a widespread attack on the internet due to statements I made during a podcast discussion. They were distorted in a disgraceful and unfair manner, misinterpreted, and taken out of context by Israel and its Israeli occupation supporters.

I never claimed that the journalists present in the WhatsApp group in Gaza were affiliated with Hamas. I never claimed that Hamas controlled the journalists of Gaza or directed their work, nor did I claim that the presence of any journalist in that group meant they were affiliated with Hamas. Any claim to the contrary is a false claim.

The WhatsApp group I spoke about was simply a group that included representatives from the Hamas government, sharing updates and information about the situation in Gaza. Many journalists were present there, including myself, because receiving updates from government sources was part of our journalistic work, as is the case with journalists around the world.

I have criticized Hamas many times. Hamas is not only a resistance faction in Gaza, but it is also the ruling authority. As a Palestinian, I was born and raised in Gaza, so it is my full right to criticize those who rule me. But it is absolutely unacceptable to distort this criticism and turn it into something I did not say or mean.

When members of my family were killed, when my friends were killed, and when I was threatened and forced to flee and move under constant danger, it was Israel that carried out the killings.

My criticism of the Hamas government does not erase what Israel did to my people, nor does it give anyone the right to use my words to serve the Israeli occupation narrative.
As for the video I filmed of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas, I filmed it inside Gaza while I was working as a journalist. I chose not to publish it because I was afraid that revealing the location would expose the Palestinian civilians in the area to danger. After about twenty minutes, Israeli warplanes targeted the location, resulting in the killing of the prisoners, along with Hamas militants who were present there.

To clarify: I did not participate in the events of October 7th, and I was not part of it in any way. I was in Gaza documenting what was happening in front of me.

I will not allow a critical view of a ruling Palestinian authority to be turned into a propaganda material serving the occupation. We have the right to criticize those who rule us, and we have the right to oppose the occupation. Neither of these two rights is nullified.

I remind you once again: the mass killing and massive destruction in Gaza, which I documented with my camera and conveyed to the world, was not committed by Hamas, but by Israel.

No idea. However, as Israel won’t let any independent journalists in, how will we know.

Good idea to check news sources though. The New York post is a rag and on about a par with the Daily Fail.

Then if Israel don’t wish to be portrayed in such an unfavourable light, then let them in.

I think it’s quite obvious that Hamas control the media output form Gaza, many journalists are later owned by Hamas in their militant death notices. Plus the fact that the only places I saw reporting Hamas shooting Gazans after the ceasefire was shaky footage taken by civilians.

I saw his podcast interviews, arab soeakers were commenting on it, a lot of angry hamas supporters about exposing hamas and saying he’s stupid for speaking so plainly. Plus pro-peace Palestinians commented on it and confirmed what he said to be as the NYpost outlines.

The question is not whther you like the paper that is reporting it. The question instead is are they reporting the truth.

Ofcourse he’s walking it back, he’s getting so much shit over this and probably quite a few death threats.

Then they need to let in outside journalists, but they won’t. If they have nothing to hide, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Or maybe they don’t want the world to see…….

Easily remedied. Israeli opens the borders. International impartial press allowed in. Sorted.

I think both things can be true.

-Hamas threatens journalists in Gaza .

-What is happening on the ground is horrific and newsworthy and true.

Do you honestly believe that? I don't know why people think there are simple solutions to any of this. It seems to go hand in hand with a binary way if thinking.

But I think the point is that there is very little reliable and fair reporting in this conflict.
From either side. I would give the most weight with the medical professionals and their testimonies when returning from Gaza.

But I think this raises the issue of whether it is even possible to be an independent journalist in Gaza when Hamas is the ruling authority
If independent professional war correspondents were threatened by Hamas they would report it. It would be part of their narrative, there is no reason why they should not be let in.