PalCast released a new episode titled “Gaza, When The War Ends.” Yousef and Tony spoke with poet and writer Nadera Mushtaha, a former student of the late Dr. Refaat Alareer. Nadera shared how she lost her family home in Shujayia and spoke about her friend, Malak Arafat, whose killing she only discovered seven months later because of the rolling internet blackouts in Gaza. Her voice carried the weight of both grief and resistance as the sounds of Israeli drones and tank shells echoed in the background.
The discussion highlighted the ongoing bombardment of Gaza City, where neighborhoods such as Sabra and Zaytoun faced heavy shelling and threats of mass expulsion. Listeners heard about the catastrophic conditions for the 800,000 residents forced into displacement, with many pushed further south into areas already starved of aid. Nadera described the hunger that defined daily life, with families surviving on little more than water, and explained how aid shortages, inflated costs, and unsafe airdrops made survival even harder.
She also spoke about the psychological toll of living under constant surveillance. The drones, which hovered day and night, created a suffocating atmosphere of fear and exhaustion. Their noise became a form of psychological warfare, depriving people of sleep and peace of mind. Despite the destruction, displacement, and loss, Nadera explained how writing remained her way to resist, telling human stories rather than letting them be reduced to statistics.
The episode captured both the cruelty of the ongoing genocide and the resilience of those living through it. Nadera’s memories of Dr. Refaat, who urged his students to keep writing, served as a reminder of the power of words in the darkest times. “Gaza, When The War Ends” is now available to listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.