logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2015
19m 45s

Palestinians in Syria: Stuck in "The Dee...

Global Dispatches
About this episode

When the Yarmouk refugee camp outside Damascus was overrun by ISIS, a bad situation got much worse. Ban Ki moon called it "the deepest circle of hell" and UN humanitarian agencies are struggling to help people escape from the encampment. On the line to discuss these efforts is Richard Wright of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which is a humanitarian agency for Palestinian refugees in the middle east. Wright relays the current situation in Yarmouk, describes the UN's ongoing efforts to navigate between warring factions and the government, and tells the story of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who have been caught up in the Syrian civil war. 

Up next
Yesterday
The Last of Syria's Political Prisoners are Still Languishing in Lebanese Jails
<p data-start="103" data-end="512">When Damascus was liberated in December of last year and Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, thousands of the regime's political prisoners were released from jail. Around the region, Syrians who had fled the country began returning home. It was a jo ... Show More
19m 23s
Nov 20
Live From Kabul — The World's First Capital Facing Total Water Collapse
<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Kabul is running out of water. If present trends continue, the capital of Afghanistan could run completely dry by 2030. There are several reasons for this. The first is climate change: there is less snowmelt to feed the city's aquifers. The second is agi ... Show More
24m 7s
Nov 17
A Brilliant New Biography Tells the Story of the Cold War Era UN Secretary General U-Thant
<p data-start="115" data-end="401">U Thant was a Burmese diplomat and the third Secretary-General of the United Nations. He assumed the role following the death of Dag Hammarskjöld in a plane crash in the Congo in 1961, and soon became one of the most consequential players in int ... Show More
34m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
A Sudanese collective's care in Cairo | First Person
<p dir="ltr">"We came mainly seeking safety, seeking to live a decent life. But then we found another war"</p> <p dir="ltr">Our First Person narratives dig into the humanity of humanitarian challenges. This episode tells a story of the 15,000 Sudanese people living in Egypt's Mas ... Show More
12m 47s
Nov 2023
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
As Israel says its troops have entered Gaza City, the humanitarian crisis is stark. Bakeries in North Gaza are closed, according to the UN, and hospitals are nearly out of fuel, says the Palestinian Red Crescent. The UN Secretary-General today called for an unconditional release ... Show More
58m 56s
Mar 2025
Gaza Humanitarian Crisis Intensifies
As peace talks drag on, the crisis in Gaza gets worse and worse. It's now two weeks since Israel shut off electricity, food, fuel and medical supplies, in a bid to pressure Hamas to accept an extension of the preliminary ceasefire. Gavin Kelleher is the humanitarian access manage ... Show More
56m 10s
Jul 2025
Crisis and control in Gaza and the West Bank
This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Hugh Lovatt, ECFR policy fellow, and Tahani Mustafa, visiting fellow in ECFR’s Middle East and North Africa programme, to discuss Israel’s military action in Gaza and the West Bank, the ensuing humanitarian crisis, and the political dynamics o ... Show More
28m 53s
Dec 2024
The Civil and Proxy War Reignites in Syria
Joe Biden has just weeks left in his presidency. Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza is continuing at full force. In Lebanon, the so-called ceasefire was one-sided by U.S. design, meant to require only Hezbollah to cease its fire. A UN peacekeeping force official told CNN Tuesday ... Show More
1h 7m
May 2025
Crisis and collapse: Europe’s intervention in Gaza
This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Julien Barnes-Dacey, ECFR’s Middle East and North Africa programme director, for an emergency room episode diving into the dire situation in Gaza. After the March ceasefire collapsed, Israel’s intensified offensive—where it plans to occupy 75% ... Show More
19 m
Jan 2024
Israel’s war on Gaza: What constitutes genocide?
With the International Court of Justice deliberating over South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, we look at how the proceedings could affect reporting on the war. Contributors: Qaanitah Hunter - Journalist, News24 Nimer Sultany - Editor-in-Chief, The Palestine Yearbook of I ... Show More
24m 51s
Aug 11
Iraq dismisses PMF commanders, and on-board a Jordanian aid drop to Gaza
Iraq has dismissed two senior commanders of the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces over a deadly attack on a government building last month. The National has boarded a Jordanian aid flight to Gaza. Hundreds were arrested in London for marching in support of the banned Pales ... Show More
4m 22s
Oct 15
Will the War in Gaza Really End?
<p>The world has watched as a cease-fire has tentatively taken effect in Gaza. All the surviving Israeli hostages are home and many Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been released. Israeli forces have pulled back within Gaza, and much-needed humanitarian aid is rushing in. ... Show More
58m 15s