Key Takeaways:
- After the October 7 massacre, the @gaza_flood handle on X was created, reportedly belonging to Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza. The username explicitly references Hamas’ terrorism operation.
- Azaiza has repeatedly praised the October 7 massacre and Hamas leaders, reframing terrorism and hostage-taking in ways that distort well-documented facts and sanitize violence against Israelis.
- Despite this record, Sky News has repeatedly platformed Azaiza throughout the war and, on multiple occasions, tagged his @gaza_flood account. The outlet only deleted its most recent post after being publicly called out, underscoring a pattern of editorial failure rather than a one-time oversight.
Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza is no stranger to Sky News. Despite his consistent praise of Hamas leaders and the October 7 massacre, the news outlet has warmly welcomed him as a Palestinian voice throughout the war.
Azaiza’s views on the massacre and Hamas leaders are not something he hides with shame. On October 7, 2023, he proudly posted on his main X account that “The Gazans entered the settlements!!!!!!!! With jeeps we see in the streets of Gaza.”
On Oct 7, Motaz posted videos of Israelis getting kidnapped, as well as this photo captioned: “The Gazans entered the settlements!!!!!!!! With jeeps we see in the streets of Gaza.” pic.twitter.com/cJwGkB1FP7
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 23, 2026
In one interview with Azaiza in January 2025, he referred to Israeli hostages being held by Hamas as “prisoners” who were being held in good conditions. This was not a matter of imprecise language but a distortion of indisputable facts. By reframing civilians abducted in a terrorist attack as detainees treated humanely, Azaiza erased the violence of October 7 and minimized the suffering that followed. His willingness to recast hostage-taking as legitimate underscores his intent to launder Hamas’ crimes and reshape the public’s understanding of what Israelis endured on and after that dark day.
Calling Israeli hostages “prisoners” who when released are “fat, smiling and in good health” shows a disgusting lack of compassion and honesty.
Motaz has been highlighted by @nytimes, listed among @TIME most influential of 2024, and given free rein by @SkyNews @SkyYaldaHakim to… https://t.co/TcpPNZWTIz
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 16, 2025
It is therefore no surprise that in October 2023, an X account appearing to belong to Azaiza under the username @gaza_flood was created, unashamedly referencing the Al Aqsa Flood – Hamas’ operational name for the massacre. One post on the account called Jews donkeys and referred to Gaza as being “exterminated” less than two weeks after the terrorist attacks.
While it is unclear if the account does in fact belong to Azaiza, tagging this username is not something that Sky News could have missed. It is an account, publicly opened after a massacre, named in honor of that very massacre. Yet, when posting an interview with Azaiza regarding President Trump’s Board of Peace on January 23, Sky News tagged the @gaza_flood account in place of Azaiza’s main X account.
Sky News did not merely platform an already questionable voice on Palestinian affairs, but saw fit to tag a username explicitly aligned with a terrorist organization and the mass slaughter of innocent Israelis. This is not a minor editorial lapse but rather a broader reflection of the troubling breakdown of basic journalistic judgment at Sky News. Even if the @gaza_flood account does not belong to Azaiza, the very fact that such an association is plausible raises serious questions about Sky News’ editorial standards. It more greatly reflects a troubling lack of due diligence and judgment in allowing Azaiza to be platformed at all.
While the original post from January 23 has been deleted after HonestReporting and others called out the outlet for tagging the @gaza_flood account, Sky News has previously tagged the same X account, and the posts are still up. It is thus not a one-time oversight, quietly deleted without explanation or accountability, but a deeper pattern at the network where a public figure who has aligned himself with the messaging of a terrorist organization is continuously amplified.
Motaz Azaiza has repeatedly shown the world who he is and his support for terrorist organizations. It is time Sky News adheres to basic journalistic standards and stops providing legitimacy to those who glorify terror.
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