Forced From Home

"One Emergency After Another." The Assault on Medical Care in Gaza with Dr. Thaer Ahmad

Despite a nominal ceasefire, life for people in Gaza remains grim, Israel continues to obstruct humanitarian and medical aid, and enormous needs persist. At this year's Refugees International Advocacy Awards, we presented the Richard C. Holbrooke Leadership Award to Dr. Thaer Ahmad, in honor of Palestinian healthcare workers in Gaza whose extraordinary service has saved lives under unimaginable conditions. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Thaer Ahmad about his experience providing emergency medical care in Gaza, the consequences of the Israeli government's restrictions on medical supplies and attacks on hospitals, and the importance of advocacy in the face of inhumanity. Timed Takeaways [3:00] Inside Gaza's hospitals in the early days of the war [14:27] "On the brink of collapse": the impacts of obstructing emergency medical equipment [22:25] "A miserable process:" medical evacuations for Palestinians in and from Gaza [27:33] Targeted violence on the health system in Gaza and the detention of Palestinian doctors [40:07] The West Bank: navigating emergency care as checkpoints proliferate [43:58] The power of advocacy: protesting the Biden administration's military support to Israel [52:25] The harms of passive voice and the need to humanize Palestinian victims of violence [56:06] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week Mentioned in This Episode: Legal analysis of the conduct of Israel in Gaza pursuant to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide [https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session60/advance-version/a-hrc-60-crp-3.pdf] - The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Thematic Report: Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza (7 October 2023 - 30 June 2024) [https://www.un.org/unispal/document/thematic-report-attacks-on-hospitals-31dec24/] - The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Humanitarian Scorecard: Six Months In, Gaza Ceasefire is Failing [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/humanitarian-scorecard-six-months-in-gaza-ceasefire-is-failing/] - Refugees International Palestinians Flee as Israeli Forces Raid a Major Hospital in Gaza [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-nasser-hospital.html] - New York Times How the Israeli army besieged and attacked Nasser hospital [https://www.msf.org/gaza-how-israeli-army-besieged-and-attacked-nasser-hospital] - Doctors without Borders Scorecard: Israel Fails to Comply with U.S. Humanitarian Access Demands in Gaza [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/scorecard-israel-fails-to-comply-with-u-s-humanitarian-access-demands-in-gaza/] - Refugees International Update from WHO DG on People Needing Medical Evacuation in Gaza [https://x.com/DrTedros/status/2013893130169250118] - Director-General of the World Health Organization US halts visitor visas used for medical trips from Gaza [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy1prn125do] - BBC Human Rights Groups Petition Israel's High Court: Immediately Allow Medical Evacuations from Gaza to the West Bank and East Jerusalem [https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/11470] - Adalah Your questions about our work in Gaza, answered [https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/your-questions-about-our-work-gaza-answered] - Doctors without Borders The Voice of Hind Rajab [https://www.thevoiceofhindrajabfilm.com/] This doctor walked out of a Biden meeting to protest Gaza [https://www.npr.org/2024/04/03/1242476484/biden-met-with-a-small-group-of-muslims-yesterday-this-doctor-walked-out] - NPR Idealism, Diplomacy and Power: Tony Lake's Story [https://afsa.org/idealism-diplomacy-and-power-tony-lakes-story] - American Foreign Service Association A Conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates [https://www.thekeymagazine.com/p/ta-nehisi-coates-palestine-israel-the-message-election-interview] - The Key Magazine Eyewitnesses Recount Deadly Israeli Attack on Medics in Gaza [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/world/middleeast/gaza-medics-killed-israel.html] - New York Times Lebanon Flash Update #24 [https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-24-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-7-may-2026] - OCHA Lebanon says two paramedics among 13 killed in Israeli strikes [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx21j3xl72zo] - BBC Co-Chairs Call on U.S. Corporations to Reassess UAE Partnerships Amid Sudan Atrocity Concerns [https://humanrightscommission.house.gov/news/press-releases/co-chairs-call-us-corporations-reassess-uae-partnerships-amid-sudan-atrocity] - Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Refugees International – Ways to Take Action [http://refugeesinternational.org/get-involved/take-action/] Refugee Advocacy Lab [https://www.refugeeadvocacylab.org/] If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and consider a donation to support our work at https://give.refugeesinternational.org/a/forcedfromhome For more show episodes, visit https://refugeesinternational.org/forced-from-home-podcast Thoughts or suggestions? Get in touch with our team at ri@refugeesinternational.org [ri@refugeesinternational.org] Subscribe with us wherever you get your podcasts and follow Refugees International on social media @refugeesintl (Twitter/Instagram/Threads) and Refugees International (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube). You can also follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyKonyndyk. This episode of "Forced from Home" was produced by Refugees International. Our technical director and sound designer is Joshua Suhy. Our executive producer is Madison Cullinan. The show's production team also includes Eliza Leal and Sarah Sheffer. Our music is composed by Richard Adam Keyworth from Sound Pocket Music.

"No one was spared." The war in Sudan and the genocide in Darfur with Representative Sara Jacobs and Emi Mahmoud

The world just passed the three year mark of the war in Sudan - the largest displacement and humanitarian crisis in the world. We spoke with U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA) about the impact the war has had on Sudanese civilians and refugees, the role of external actors in fueling the conflict, and what the United States can do to help end it. Then, we met with Emi Mahmoud, a renowned poet, author, and humanitarian activist who grew up in Darfur to hear about the RSF's genocidal violence in Darfur and how local community groups are supporting each other across Sudan. Timed Takeaways [0:46] Setting the scene: unpacking the scale of the crisis and warring parties in Sudan [4:24] Representative Jacobs on the impact of aid cuts for Sudanese refugees [8:00] Representative Jacobs on the role of the UAE in fueling the conflict in Sudan [13:35] Representative Jacobs on needed U.S. leadership and congressional engagement to end the war in Sudan [19:20] Representative Jacobs on setting the record straight about migration management at the U.S. southern border [24:03] Emi Mahmoud on the RSF's atrocities and siege of El Fasher, Darfur [33:00] Emi Mahmoud on the role of racism and Arabization in the war in Sudan [43:44] Preventing further deaths in Sudan and ways to take action [52:08] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week [54:30] Tribute to former Refugees International President Lionel Rosenblatt Mentioned in This Episode: Aid and Accountability for Sudanese Refugees in Chad [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/aid-and-accountability-for-sudanese-refugees-in-chad/] – Refugees International The Darfur Genocide Never Ended [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/opinion/sudan-darfur-genocide.html] - New York Times Refugees International Calls for Action: New Evidence of United Arab Emirates Fueling Genocide in Sudan [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-calls-for-action-new-evidence-of-united-arab-emirates-fueling-genocide-in-sudan/] – Refugees International Refugees International Take Action: NO Weapons Sales to the UAE Until They End Support for Genocide in Sudan [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/get-involved/take-action/] – Refugees International https://www.speakoutonsudan.org/ [https://www.speakoutonsudan.org/] darfuridp.org [http://darfuridp.org] Afghans Who Helped U.S. Forces Say They're Being Pushed Back to the Taliban [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/world/asia/afghans-qatar-refugees-congo.html] – New York Times Risk of Renewed War in Tigray: Painful Reminders From Ethiopia's Last War Demand Action to Prevent Another [https://www.justsecurity.org/132370/tigray-ethiopia-action-prevent-war/] - Just Security Refugees International Honors the Life of Former President Lionel Rosenblatt [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-honors-the-life-of-former-president-lionel-rosenblatt/] – Refugees International Lionel Rosenblatt Dies at 82; Led Daring Rescue of Vietnamese Refugees [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/world/asia/lionel-rosenblatt-dead.html] - New York Times Lionel Rosenblatt is dead at 82. He defied his bosses to help hundreds flee Vietnam [https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2026/04/25/lionel-rosenblatt-dead-refugees-vietnam/] - Washington Post Speak Out on Sudan [http://www.speakoutonsudan.org] www.speakoutonsudan.org [http://www.speakoutonsudan.org] Darfur IDP Humanitarian Network [http://darfuridp.org] darfuridp.org [http://darfuridp.org] If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and consider a donation to support our work at https://give.refugeesinternational.org/a/forcedfromhome For more show episodes, visit https://refugeesinternational.org/forced-from-home-podcast Thoughts or suggestions? Get in touch with our team at ri@refugeesinternational.org [ri@refugeesinternational.org] Subscribe with us wherever you get your podcasts and follow Refugees International on social media @refugeesintl (Twitter/Instagram/Threads) and Refugees International (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube). You can also follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyKonyndyk. This episode of "Forced from Home" was produced by Refugees International. Our technical director and sound designer is Joshua Suhy. Our executive producer is Madison Cullinan. The show's production team also includes Etant Dupain, Eliza Leal, and Sarah Sheffer. Our music is composed by Richard Adam Keyworth from Sound Pocket Music. And special thanks to Dan Sullivan and Mohammed Naeem.

The Human Cost of the War in Iran with Vali Nasr

Forced from Home is proud to present our first-ever episode. In just a month and half, the US/Israeli war with Iran has been felt across the Middle East, and millions of people have been forcibly displaced within their country and across borders. From Iran to Lebanon, civilians are experiencing grave harm from constant bombardment on critical civilian infrastructure, including power plants, schools, health care facilities, and historical sites. Vali Nasr is a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and a New York Times bestselling author on Iran. Nasr is the author, most recently, of "Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History by Vali Nasr." We sat down to discuss the human toll of the conflict and how Iranians are experiencing the war; the risk that state collapse in Iran could spark mass regional displacement; and how the erosion of international humanitarian law is ultimately a threat to regional stability. [2:19] The outlook for the war [7:12] Iranians are experiencing a deliberate "war against the people" [12:44] "Gaza rules" and the implications for US strategic aims [17:51] Is "state collapse" plausible? [22:58] Displacement dynamics - where might Iranians seek refuge? [25:09] Iran's regional proxies and their links to humanitarian crises [31:02] Setting the record straight: the risks of destroying social fabrics [36:30] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week Mentioned in This Episode: Iran's Schools and Hospitals in Ruins, Times Analysis Shows [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/09/world/middleeast/us-israel-strikes-iran-structures-damage.html] - NYT Why This War Could Be a "Turning Point" for the Global Order [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-this-war-could-be-a-turning-point-for-the/id1526683358?i=1000759991913] - Gita Wirjawan Humanitarian Scorecard: Six Months In, Gaza Ceasefire is Failing [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/humanitarian-scorecard-six-months-in-gaza-ceasefire-is-failing/] - Refugees International Congo says it will receive third-country deportees from the U.S. under new deal [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/congo-says-it-will-receive-third-country-deportees-from-the-u-s-under-new-deal] - PBS https://www.thirdcountrydeportationwatch.org/ [https://www.thirdcountrydeportationwatch.org/] Take Action: Speak Out on Sudan [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/actions/speak-out-on-sudan/] - Refugees International If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and consider a donation to support our work at https://give.refugeesinternational.org/a/forcedfromhome For more show episodes, visit https://refugeesinternational.org/forced-from-home-podcast Thoughts or suggestions? Get in touch with our team at ri@refugeesinternational.org [ri@refugeesinternational.org] Subscribe with us wherever you get your podcasts and follow Refugees International on social media @refugeesintl (Twitter/Instagram/Threads) and Refugees International (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube). You can also follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyKonyndyk. This episode of "Forced from Home" was produced by Refugees International. Our technical director and sound designer is Joshua Suhy. Our executive producer is Madison Cullinan. The show's production team also includes Etant Dupain, Eliza Leal, and Sarah Sheffer. Our music is composed by Richard Adam Keyworth from Sound Pocket Music. And special thanks to Darya and Vali Nasr.

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