In the latest episode of PalCast, hosts Yousef and Tony spoke with Ahmed Dremly, a Palestinian photojournalist in Gaza, about the brutal realities of life under Israeli assault. The episode, titled “Israel Killed My Mother Twice,” offered a firsthand account of the suffering inside what Ahmed described as Gaza’s “hunger game.” He detailed how so-called “humanitarian zones” became death traps, with Israeli forces targeting civilians who lined up for food. He also warned of Israel’s growing plans to turn parts of Gaza into concentration camps.
Ahmed shared stories from northern Gaza, where he remained despite constant bombings and a severe shortage of food. He described how starvation became a weapon. In one moment, he recounted an elderly man saying he would rather die in an airstrike than starve slowly. These are not isolated stories but everyday horrors endured by those trapped in Gaza, stripped of aid, dignity, and safety.
He also spoke about his late mother, who had cancer. Her condition worsened after months without proper nutrition in Gaza, and although she was eventually evacuated to Egypt for treatment, she died shortly after. Ahmed never got to see her. In his words, “Israel killed her twice”—once by starving her, and again by keeping him from her final moments.
The episode also covered the erasure of Palestinian culture, such as the bombing of El Baga Café, and addressed the failure of much of the international media to report the truth. Ahmed called for a shift in focus, urging listeners to understand the roots of the conflict in the Nakba of 1948. The full episode is now available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.