The arduous system for getting aid into Gaza

Summary

The Indicator from Planet Money

Episode: The arduous system for getting aid into Gaza
Release Date: August 12, 2025
Host/Author: NPR's Waylon Wong
Guest: Arwa Damon, Founder of the International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance (Inada)

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1. Introduction to Arwa Damon and Her Humanitarian Journey

Waylon Wong introduces Arwa Damon, a seasoned journalist with 16 years at CNN, known for her reporting from conflict zones such as Iraq and Syria. Damon’s firsthand experiences in these areas sparked her commitment to humanitarian efforts.

Notable Quote:
Arwa Damon (00:38): "It's this feeling that grabs you in the throat because you do want to be able to do more."

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2. Founding of Inada: Bridging the Humanitarian Gap

In 2015, motivated by the limitations she observed in existing aid organizations, Damon founded Inada. The nonprofit focuses on providing medical care to children affected by war and natural disasters, operating in regions like Turkey, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Gaza.

Key Points:

• Mission Focus: Targeting children who fall through the gaps of larger institutions.
• Operational Regions: Emphasis on areas with significant needs and limited aid.

Notable Quote:
Arwa Damon (02:37): "We're there to report and observe, but once we have done that, there's nothing stopping us from then being a human being who wants to just give something to another human being."

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3. Operating Principles: Local Engagement and Quality Over Quantity

Damon emphasizes Inada's distinct approach compared to other large institutions.

Key Strategies:

• Hiring Locally: Ensures that the organization benefits from the knowledge and expertise of those directly impacted.
• Selective Assistance: Instead of adopting a numbers game, Inada focuses on intensive support for smaller groups, ensuring high-quality aid.

Notable Quotes:
Arwa Damon (04:02): "We only hire local. And another thing that we also focus on is not playing the numbers game."
Arwa Damon (05:16): "We will invest the time and resources and finances to, for example, like we did during the Turkey Syria earthquake, drive four hours to ensure that a cluster of 60 people has access to clean water..."

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4. Financial Challenges and Fundraising

Damon discusses the financial hurdles of operating a specialized nonprofit, particularly the difficulty in securing funding when focusing on quality over quantity.

Key Points:

• Donor Expectations: Large donors often prefer funding that impacts a vast number of beneficiaries, making it challenging for Inada to justify the resources allocated per individual.
• Sustainability Issues: At times, the organization faced severe funding shortages, nearly leading to shutdowns.

Notable Quote:
Arwa Damon (05:16): "...our math ends up being, well, actually that $1 million is going to, you know, treat at $10,000, a significantly lesser number... it's an emotional rollercoaster to try to keep your head above water in Gaza."

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5. Navigating the Complexities of Aid Delivery in Gaza

Delivering aid to Gaza involves multiple layers of logistical and bureaucratic challenges, exacerbated by political tensions and scarcity.

Process Overview:

1. Item Approval: Securing permissions for each aid item (e.g., medical supplies, food) from the Israeli government, often facing rejections.
2. Transportation: Once approved, trucks must navigate through "the red zone," a highly volatile and dangerous area prone to looting and chaos.
3. Final Delivery: Many trucks fail to reach their destinations due to armed gangs and overcrowded conditions, significantly limiting aid effectiveness.

Notable Quotes:
Arwa Damon (06:59): "From the very beginning, we have had this whole back and forth of items constantly being rejected... but once you're able to get your list through, then your truck gets cleared by the Israeli side."
Arwa Damon (07:40): "We have to run the gauntlet of these armed gangs and try to get your truck safely to a warehouse... the vast majority of trucks aren't actually making it to the warehouse."

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6. Personal Reflections and Insights on Gaza

Beyond the logistical challenges, Damon highlights the resilience and humanity she has witnessed in Gaza, offering a poignant contrast to the harsh realities of conflict.

Key Points:

• Human Kindness: Despite adversity, the people of Gaza display immense compassion and grace.
• Personal Connections: Memories of individuals, such as an older woman sharing her last cup of coffee, underscore the deep personal bonds formed during humanitarian efforts.

Notable Quotes:
Arwa Damon (08:58): "It's the kindness that I've seen there and the grace and compassion under these circumstances that none of us could ever imagine."
Arwa Damon (09:31): "When I remember Gaza, do you know what I remember mostly the older woman who invited me in for a cup of coffee, even though it was her last cup of coffee."

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7. Current Challenges and Forward Outlook

Damon shares the ongoing difficulties in maintaining operations in Gaza, particularly in the face of restrictive travel permissions.

Key Points:

• Travel Restrictions: Despite multiple attempts, Damon has been denied re-entry into Gaza since her last visit in December 2024.
• Operational Impact: The inability to return hampers the organization's ability to provide consistent aid and support the local team.

Notable Quotes:
Arwa Damon (09:37): "I actually tried to go back in February, March was rejected, rejected, rejected and then fully denied by Israel."
Arwa Damon (09:52): "Obviousely the team is still in Gaza, they're from Gaza and they're still doing everything that they can, but it does make it very, very difficult."

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8. Conclusion

Waylon Wong wraps up the conversation by acknowledging the profound work and dedication of Arwa Damon and her team at Inada. The episode sheds light on the intricate and often perilous process of delivering humanitarian aid in conflict zones, emphasizing the human stories behind the statistics.

Closing Note:
Waylon Wong (10:12): "This episode was produced by Julia Richie with engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Kicking Cannon is our show's editor and the indicator is a production of NPR."

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Production Credits:

• Producer: Julia Richie
• Engineer: Jimmy Keeley
• Fact Checker: Sierra Juarez
• Editor: Kicking Cannon
• Production: NPR

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This episode provides a comprehensive look into the operational, financial, and emotional complexities of delivering humanitarian aid in one of the world's most challenging environments. Arwa Damon's firsthand experiences and candid reflections offer invaluable insights into the persistent struggles and unwavering human spirit within Gaza.

Transcript

[NPR Host]

NPR.

[Waylon Wong]

This is the indicator from Planet Money. I'm Waylon Wong. Arwa Damon spent 16 years at CNN. She was a senior international correspondent reporting from conflict zones like Iraq and Syria. And when Ara was out in the field, she would often bring suitcases of clothing to hand out to the people she met. This was never in exchange for an inter or story, but rather after she was done reporting. Still, it didn't seem like enough.

[Arwa Damon]

It's this feeling that grabs you in the throat because you do want to be able to do more.

[Waylon Wong]

So in 2015, Arwa did do more. She started a nonprofit called the International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance. It helps children get medical care if they've been hurt by war or in natural disasters. Inada, as the group is called for, short, works in countries like Turkey, Ukraine and Afghanistan. It also operates in Gaza.

[Arwa Damon]

None of us have ever encountered a situation like Gaza, not on any level of it.

[Waylon Wong]

Today on the show, Arwa talks about the economics of running a humanitarian aid organization and the difficulties of getting help to Gazan residents. This message comes from Capital One with the Venture X Card. Earn unlimited double miles on everything you.

[Arwa Damon]

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[Waylon Wong]

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[Arwa Damon]

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[NPR Host]

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[Waylon Wong]

Arwa Damon founded Inada in 2015 while she was still a correspondent at CNN. She says her humanitarian work came out of her experiences as a reporter.

[Arwa Damon]

Yes, we're there to report and observe, but once we have done that, there's nothing stopping us from then being a human being who wants to just give something to another human being. A lot of us who are out there, especially in these war zones, we're constantly coming across children who have been injured and sometimes you can do a report on them, and sometimes that'll lead to another organization picking up their case, but more often than not, actually, it doesn't work out. And after constantly seeing this for years and years and years, and especially feeling the world's apathy, and at the time it was towards Iraq and then towards what was happening in Syria, I just had this overwhelming need of having to do more. It was visceral. It was almost paralyzing. And I was actually in quite a dark headspace. And out of that emerged this idea of, well, why not build an organization that specifically targets children that are falling through the gaps of what other organizations are able to provide for them, or children that need these super complex, lengthy, and expensive surgeries? And then it just. It grew from there.

[Waylon Wong]

But at the beginning, Arwa actually funded her charity herself. When you were setting up your nonprofit, based on your experience as a reporter, as someone who had observed what other groups were doing, how did you want your organization to operate differently?

[Arwa Damon]

There's still this very large gap that exists, especially at the larger institutions where the outsiders think they know best and we don't know best. And so for us at inada, we only hire local. And another thing that we also focus on is not playing the numbers game. And so we are the organization that will invest the time and resources and finances to, for example, like we did during the Turkey Syria earthquake, drive four hours to ensure that a cluster of 60 people has access to clean water, and we will deliver a portable water purification system to them, even though that's a lot of time, money, and resources to spend on that number of people. And that's not necessarily a calculation that other organizations are. Are willing to make.

[Waylon Wong]

Interesting. So by numbers game, you mean, like another organization might say, okay, we want to reach tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, and you're able to go in a little bit more surgically and say, we'll help 60 people.

[Arwa Damon]

Exactly. And the thing is, is that makes it very tricky to raise money, because a big donor, for example, is again, just as an example, willing to give a million dollars. They want to be able to say, my million dollars reached half a million children. And they did that through a big vaccination campaign or whatever it is. Whereas for us especially, because when it comes to the medical work that we do and these very complex surgeries that children end up needing because of the sheer catastrophic injuries that bombs can wreck on a child's body, our math ends up being, well, actually that $1 million is going to, you know, treat at $10,000, a child, a significantly lesser number. But then we try to argue if you treat that child now, you can ensure that that child then is able to go to school, is able to reintegrate with the community, and then is able to, in the future grow into an adult who is not going to be reliant on others and on humanitarian. So we've. We've kind of managed to sort of keep going. But I have to say straight up, like, there were a couple of times when we almost ran out of money where we had to, you know, almost completely shut down. It's an emotional rollercoaster to try to keep your head above water in Gaza.

[Waylon Wong]

Arwa's organization has team members providing medical care. It also tries to distribute food, diapers, and other essentials. This is a really difficult task involving many stages of approval from the Israeli government. Arwa says it begins with getting permission for individual items.

[Arwa Damon]

From the very beginning, we have had this whole back and forth of items constantly being rejected. And you can take that from, you know, pediatric insulin needles to crutches, to sleeping bags, to, you know, Nutella being rejected as an item inside one of the food parcels. But once you're able to get your list through, then your truck gets cleared by the Israeli side. It then crosses just over the border into Gaza, where then the organizations are notified that they can pick up. To be able to access these collection points, we have to move through what's known as the red zone. So that's an area that is under either, you know, Israeli occupation at the moment, or it's a combat zone, or it's under some sort of evacuation order. That leg of the journey that takes us through the Red Zone is where, historically speaking, the armed gang looting activity has taken place. So once you've gone through with your truck and you've picked everything up, you then have to run the gauntlet of these armed gangs and try to get your truck safely to a warehouse. I mean, I don't even know how to describe it now, because now it's not just the armed gangs. Now it's also these crowds, these surges of starving Gazans who are swarming the trucks. I mean, as long as there is scarcity, there is going to be chaos. And right now, you know, the situation is that the vast majority of trucks aren't actually making it to the warehouse. That's just the reality.

[Waylon Wong]

Are there things that you want our listeners to know about Gaza that you think haven't been getting enough attention?

[Arwa Damon]

Yeah, I do. It's the kindness that I've seen there and the grace and compassion under these circumstances that none of us could ever imagine. You know, when I remember Gaza, do you know what I remember mostly the older woman who invited me in for a cup of coffee, even though it was her last cup of coffee. People there especially have held onto their grace to such a degree and really held onto their humanity.

[Waylon Wong]

Arwa last visited Gaza in December of 2024. She doesn't know when she can return.

[Arwa Damon]

I actually tried to go back in February, March was rejected, rejected, rejected and then fully denied by Israel. No reason was given. And it's important to point out that it's not just me.

[Waylon Wong]

We reached out to the Israeli agency that handles those authorizations. It did not get back to us with the comment.

[Arwa Damon]

You know, obviously the team is still in Gaza, they're from Gaza and they're still doing everything that they can, but it does make it very, very difficult.

[Waylon Wong]

Really appreciate you taking the time and coming on the show to talk to us about your work.

[Arwa Damon]

No, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

[Waylon Wong]

This episode was produced by Julia Richie with engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Kicking Cannon is our show's editor and the indicator is a production of npr.

[NPR Host]

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