Gazans are starving. How did it get this bad?

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Consider This from NPR
Episode: Gazans are starving. How did it get this bad?
Host: Juana Summers
Guests/Reporters: Tom Bowman, Kat Lonsdorf, David Satterfield (former special envoy for Middle East humanitarian efforts)
Date: August 28, 2025
Total Runtime: ~13:15

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Overview

This episode examines the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza as famine takes hold nearly two years after the conflict began. NPR reporters break down the cascade of failed international aid efforts, the decision-making within the Biden administration, and how U.S. policy and diplomatic constraints, especially regarding military assistance to Israel, contributed to the present catastrophe. Firsthand accounts from former U.S. officials reveal behind-the-scenes frustrations and regrets, while the current approach under the Trump administration is contrasted at the episode’s close.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Dire State of Gaza and Aid Failures

• Juana Summers sets the scene: famine is rampant in Gaza, with the crisis worsening.
• Multiple aid delivery efforts (military pier, airdrops, land routes) implemented, all ultimately insufficient.
  • U.S.-built military pier: delivered only a fraction of needed aid, operated briefly, cost $230 million, and resulted in a U.S. casualty.

    “Critics said by the end of that mission, it achieved next to nothing.” — Juana Summers [00:40]

  • Airdrops often dangerous: resulted in accidental deaths and drownings.
  • Truck convoys via land named as the most effective means, but blocked by Israeli policy.

2. Israel’s Reluctance and U.S. Diplomatic Constraints

• Former U.S. Special Envoy David Satterfield describes Israeli leadership’s fundamental resistance to humanitarian aid.

  • “Not one drop. Not even four trucks. We can’t do this. That was the message.” — David Satterfield [01:47]

• Israel justified restrictions as political necessity; humanitarian dialogue fraught and often unproductive.

  • “It was up against a brick wall.” — David Satterfield [01:47]

3. U.S. Internal Debates and Limitations

• NPR reporters (Tom Bowman, Kat Lonsdorf) detail reporting based on interviews with anonymous former senior Biden officials.
  • Deep disagreements within the administration regarding pressure on Israel.
  • Many officials questioned if they did enough; haunted by the insufficiency of their efforts.

  • “Our answer is we’re not doing enough, but we have prevented famine and starvation. And while that may be a low bar, that is not an insignificant achievement.” — David Satterfield [06:07]

• Senator Chris Van Hollen and others decry the U.S.’s inability to hold Israel to American and international standards.

  • “The Biden administration was totally feckless when it came to holding the Netanyahu government to the standard of American law and the standards that we claim to apply to every other country in the world.” — Sen. Chris Van Hollen [06:46]

• The sense of failure is pervasive.

  • “None of us were ever, ever satisfied. It was the most heartbreaking work ever, and we never got aid in. In any amounts that was sufficient.” — Former Biden official, paraphrased by Kat Lonsdorf [07:03]

4. Context: The Early Days After October 7, 2023

• Israel’s siege on Gaza stopped all flow of goods, creating instant humanitarian catastrophe.
• U.S. support for Israel’s war effort prioritized over aid strategy; humanitarian planning was an afterthought.

  • “The humanitarian assistance component of the war was not well thought out. Some told us there was essentially no humanitarian plan, and the military mission was always paramount.” — Tom Bowman [07:57]

• Insiders describe relentless U.S. diplomatic effort, often mired in detailed, frustrating negotiations with Israel.
  • Micro-level negotiations (e.g., reopening a single water pipe) distracted from broader perspective.

5. U.S. Aid Initiatives and Their Shortfalls

• State of the Union March 2024: Biden announces construction of the pier to circumvent Israeli blockades.
  • Decision described as “Hail Mary mode” by one former official [09:44].
  • Some U.S. officials believed the best leverage was military assistance—an option mostly left unused.
    • The U.S. did briefly withhold some large bombs, but considered fully halting arms aid.
  • Israeli response to U.S. leverage threats:

    “If you withhold arms, we’ll just go it alone.” — Israeli officials, paraphrased by Tom Bowman [10:23]

6. Change Under Trump Administration

• NPR contrasts Biden’s approach with the Trump administration’s response in 2025:
  • “The US under the Trump administration largely seems to be allowing Israel to do what it wants. Aid groups on the ground told us that the US is no longer exerting the same kind of consistent round the clock pressure on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza as it did under the Biden administration.” — Tom Bowman [11:03]
• White House response (via spokesperson): “Trump wants to ensure the people of Gaza are fed.” [11:03]
• Final reflection from unnamed senior U.S. official:

  • “It’s a stain which everyone in the world sees, even if we don’t.” — Former senior U.S. official, quoted by Kat Lonsdorf [11:31]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• David Satterfield on Israeli resistance:

  “Not one drop. Not even four trucks. We can't do this. That was the message.” [01:47]

• Senator Chris Van Hollen on U.S. accountability:

  “The Biden administration was totally feckless when it came to holding the Netanyahu government to the standard of American law…” [06:46]

• Anonymous Biden official on the heartbreak:

  “None of us were ever, ever satisfied. It was the most heartbreaking work ever, and we never got aid in. In any amounts that was sufficient.” (Paraphrased) [07:03]

• Tom Bowman on missed opportunities:

  “Should we have halted all military assistance? Would that have pressured Israel to open more aid routes?” [10:23]

• Former senior U.S. official on America’s reputation:

  “It’s a stain which everyone in the world sees, even if we don’t.” [11:31]

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Timeline of Key Segments

• [00:00–02:25] Setting the context: Gaza famine and aid failures, Satterfield on Israeli roadblocks.
• [03:54–06:31] Interviews with NPR reporters: U.S. policy decisions, internal administration arguments.
• [06:46–07:34] Discussions of U.S. standards, the heartbreak of insufficient aid.
• [07:34–08:44] Deep dive into the initial siege and lack of humanitarian planning.
• [08:44–09:44] Inside the Biden administration’s day-to-day struggles and frustrations.
• [09:44–10:52] Review of U.S. aid attempts (pier, airdrops), leverage dilemmas, unused tools.
• [10:52–11:50] Present-day: Trump administration’s approach, lasting impact on U.S. global standing.

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Tone & Language

The episode maintains an urgent, somber, and reflective tone. Speakers communicate a sense of gravity, regret, and profound frustration, openly questioning past choices and policy priorities. Officials’ direct quotes reveal both emotional and political anguish.

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Conclusion

This episode of "Consider This" offers a succinct, candid window into the policy failures and moral challenges surrounding the famine in Gaza, anchored in the words of those who were at the heart of U.S. decision-making. It illuminates how bureaucratic hurdles, international politics, and a lack of political will converged to leave a population starving—while also illustrating the limitations and consequences of U.S. foreign policy in this and future humanitarian crises.

Transcript

[Juana Summers]

Famine has reached Gaza nearly two years into this humanitarian crisis, a crisis that has gotten significantly worse in the past few months. There has been one recurring problem above all others, a failure to deliver the necessary humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. The Biden administration tried to address the problem by building a military pier. The president announced the effort in his 2024 State of the Union address.

[Tom Bowman]

Tonight, I'm directing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.

[Juana Summers]

That pier only operated for a few weeks, delivering a fraction of the aid needed. It cost some $230 million and led to one US soldier's death. Critics said by the end of that mission, it achieved next to nothing. The US along with other countries, also tried airdrops, using cargo planes to drop crates with parachutes. Palestinians have drowned trying to reach aid that landed in the sea, and several have been killed when the parachute on pallets failed to open and crush them below. The most efficient and effective way to get aid into Gaza is by truck over land. But that has also been a complicated negotiation. Nearly two years after October 7, after countless pleas from world leaders humanitarian groups, none of the efforts to get meaningful aid into Gaza have worked. But it wasn't just the logistics that have prevented food from reaching Gaza. It's been Israel's unwillingness to let aid in. David Satterfield, special envoy for Middle east humanitarian efforts under the Biden administration, recalled early negotiations with Israel while speaking to npr.

[David Satterfield]

It was up against a brick wall. The prime minister, in one remark I remember, said, if I were to allow even four trucks in, there would be IDF tanks in Jerusalem pointed at my office. The Israeli people would react. That, of course, is hyperbole, but I'm giving you a sense of how difficult the conversation was. Not one drop. Not even for trucks. We can't do this. That was the message.

[Juana Summers]

Consider this. Gazans are starving. How did it get this bad? From npr, I'm Juana Summers.

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[Juana Summers]

It's consider this from npr. The war in Gaza is approaching the two year mark, as it does Israel continues to launch new attacks on a territory that's already in ruins. And the humanitarian situation for Gaza's Palestinian residents continues to worsen. A team of NPR reporters has been focusing on one question, how did we get here? They've been talking to several former senior officials in the Biden administration, all directly involved in shaping US Policy on Israel's war in Gaza when the conflict began. And I'm joined now by two of our reporters on this story, NPR's Tom Bowman and Kat Lahnsdorf. Hi to both of you.

[Tom Bowman]

Hello.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Hey.

[Juana Summers]

If you could just start by telling us why you wanted to talk to former officials from the previous administration.

[Tom Bowman]

Well, Juana, we started out with this simple question. How do we get to this point in Gaza? Famine has been declared. And of course, this all started in the Biden administration, the war in Gaza. Now at this point, Palestinians are now dying from malnutrition, according to health officials there. And we wanted to learn more about what role the US As Israel's strongest ally had in trying to get aid into Gaza to alleviate that crisis.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Yeah. So we, along with our colleague Fatma Tanis, talked to people who were senior officials across the Biden administration and asked them to take us into the rooms where the decisions around US Policy toward Israel's war in Gaza were being made from the begin. And they described strong, sometimes bitter arguments within the administration, with some officials saying not enough was being done to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow more aid into Gaza. Most of these people agreed to only speak with us without their names being used. You know, these were sensitive conversations and these people were really grappling with the decisions that were made, wondering if they did enough, or if they could have done more.

[Juana Summers]

What were you hearing from them specifically?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, again, there were very tough and intense discussions. One person we spoke with was David Satterfield. Now, he was a Biden administration's special envoy for Middle east humanitarian efforts appointed just days into the war. And he said that he and other senior officials were asked constantly if they were doing enough. And it's something they still ask themselves.

[David Satterfield]

Our answer is we're not doing enough, but we have prevented famine and starvation. And while that may be a low bar, that is not an insignificant achievement.

[Tom Bowman]

This is something we heard, Juana, from a lot of the people we spoke with, basically saying, by definition, we didn't do enough, but we made a difference. And it could have been worse. And of course, now it is.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

But, you know, there were others who said that that's just not the standard by which to measure success in a humanitarian catastrophe, like Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland, who was putting pressure on the Biden administration from the early days of the war to do. Here's what he told us.

[Tom Bowman]

The Biden administration was totally feckless when it came to holding the Netanyahu government to the standard of American law and the standards that we claim to apply to every other country in the world.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

One former Biden era official told me, quote, none of us were ever, ever satisfied. It was the most heartbreaking work ever, and we never got aid in. In any amounts that was sufficient.

[Juana Summers]

Hmm, interesting. Okay, I want to back up, if we can, a bit. Let's talk about the early days of the conflict, when Israel was reeling from The Hamas led October 7 attacks back in 2023, which started this war. Israel imposed a complete siege or blockade on Gaza in the days after. There was no food, no water, no fuel. What was happening behind the scenes in those weeks and months?

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Yeah, I mean, remember, October 7th was the deadliest attack in Israel's history. And Biden made his support for Israel very clear afterwards, saying it had the right to defend itself. And at the same, Israel imposed that siege on Gaza. You know, that's an enclave that is completely walled off, totally dependent on Israel to allow goods in and out. So this was a really difficult situation from a humanitarian aid perspective from day one.

[Tom Bowman]

And also, you know, we heard from former senior officials who traveled to Israel around the time, and they told us that the humanitarian assistance component of the war was not well thought out. Some told us there was essentially no humanitarian plan, and the military mission was always paramount.

[David Satterfield]

And.

[Tom Bowman]

And looking back, some officials told us the US didn't push Israel hard enough on that. And many of the people we talked to spoke about how the US Was reluctant to pressure Israel. Biden was very focused on the rightness of Israel's war. And there was a real sense at the time that Israel was being attacked from multiple fronts.

[Juana Summers]

It sounds like you really got an understanding of what it was like behind the scenes in the Biden administration for some really dramatic and difficult months. Can you just describe that a bit for us?

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Yeah. Everyone we talked to stressed just how hard, hard everyone was working on this issue. I mean, this was round the clock, up to the highest level, even often the President himself making phone calls to the Israelis constantly. Essentially, everyone became desk officers focusing on real specific details. You know, spending hours getting the Israelis to open a specific crossing or turn back on one specific water pipe. And officials told us that this meant that the US was often bogged down in these details and phone calls, sometimes losing the bigger picture of the humanitarian catastrophe. This all led to a lot of frustration with Israel within the administration. You know, heated arguments between senior US officials and their Israeli counterparts trying to get movement of aid.

[Juana Summers]

I remember a time when the humanitarian situation in Gaza was addressed very publicly here in the us and that was during Biden's State of the Union speech back in March of 2024. And in the speech, he announced that the US would be building a military pier to deliver aid off the coast of Gaza. Tell us about the conversations around that.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Yeah, right. You know, at this point, aid groups in Gaza were sounding the alarm bells about an impending catastrophe there, and Israel was still not letting in nearly enough aid through the land crossings. So the US first started airdrops and then proposed that pier, which had all sorts of problems and only ended up operating for about 20 days total. One former official told us, quote, we were in Hail Mary mode. You know, many of the officials we talked to defended those decisions. Others argued that they ignored the strongest tool the US had in its toolbox, which is withholding US Military assistance from Israel.

[Juana Summers]

Right. I mean, the kind of elephant in the room behind all of this and all US policy toward Israel is the large amount of military aid that the US provides to Israel.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Right?

[Tom Bowman]

No, that's right. And looking back, some officials are still wondering, should we have halted all military assistance? Would that have pressured Israel to open more aid routes? Now, the Biden administration did withhold, remember, 2,000 pound bombs for a time. So could a larger arms halt have changed anything? But the Israelis were pretty blunt in the meetings with U.S. officials. And when humanitarian concerns were raised, basically saying if you withhold arms, we'll just go it alone.

[Juana Summers]

I want to end by bringing this back to now when famine has been declared in Gaza. The situation has just gotten so much worse in recent months. How has the Trump administration handled the humanitarian crisis there?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, now the US under the Trump administration largely seems to be allowing Israel to do what it wants. Eight groups on the ground told us that the US Is no longer exerting the same kind of consistent round the clock pressure on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza as it did under the Biden administration. We reached out to the White House for this story. A spokesperson replied, saying in part that Trump, quote, wants to ensure the people of Gaza are fed.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

But, you know, regardless of the administration, one former senior US Official told us that they thought the tragedy of Gaza with a humanitarian crisis that has played out for almost two years now has fundamentally compromised Americ American global standing. They said, quote, it's a stain which everyone in the world sees, even if we don't.

[Juana Summers]

That was NPR's Kat Lonsdorf and Tom Bowman talking about reporting they did, along with NPR's Fat Matanis. Thanks to both of you.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Thank you.

[Tom Bowman]

You're welcome.

[Juana Summers]

And there is so much more to their reporting that we could not get into here. If you want to read their story in full, go to npr.org this episode was produced by Mia Venkat and Daniel Othman. It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Courtney Dorning and William Troup. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. It's consider this from NPR. I'm Juana Summers.

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