Motaz Azaiza, a Gazan journalist evacuated during the war and someone who has personally attacked me, is finally saying the blunt truth. Gaza‑based “journalists,” whether tied to Al Jazeera, Hamas, foreign outlets, or social media, systematically self‑censored and hid anti‑Hamas sentiments inside the Strip. Their mission was to maintain a narrative centered solely on Israel and to erase any dissent, criticism of Hamas, or diversity in Palestinian views. Azaiza describes how he struggled with supposed “journalists” who shut off their cameras whenever Gazans condemned Hamas or tried to hold it responsible for the catastrophe it brought upon them, from October 7 to the ruinous “resistance” mythology that followed. So to anyone repeating the line that Gaza had “more journalists killed than WWII and Vietnam combined,” think carefully about who and what you are calling a journalist in territory fully controlled by a violent extremist organization responsible for severe harm and repression. This does not deny that Israel’s offensive killed or injured real journalists. But it does expose how tightly Hamas has curated and policed the narrative for three years since October 7.