Annie's New Letters (& notes): Thank you NPR, for the compassionate listen into Palestinian life, trauma, and suffering that I heard on my car radio Saturday May 31, 2025 on WITF radio in Central Pennsylvania

Dear NPR,

Thank you NPR, for the compassionate listen into Palestinian life, trauma, and suffering that I heard on my car radio yesterday (Saturday May 31st 2025) on WITF radio.

"Group Chat Conversations across a divide: Palestinians who are outside Gaza check in with family, friends, and strangers inside" was beautifully produced, empowering Palestinians to tell their own story. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/861/group-chat

It has been horrifying to know about the plight of the Palestinians but to hear so little on our American news that has not been spun by Zionist news writers and outsiders who seek to excuse and/or ignore Israel’s crimes against humanity.

America should not be funding and arming Israel’s war on Palestinians, nor should we be helping Israel undermine and destroy UNWRA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

Laurel Hills, Pennsylvania USA

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/861/group-chat

Note: The internet version of this episode contains un-beeped curse words. BEEPED VERSION.

Prologue

The Hammash family’s group chat unfolds over texts, starting before the war. (8 minutes)

Act One

I’m Fine, Don’t Worry

When Yousef Hammash left Gaza a year ago, his sisters decided to stay behind. We hear about the toll that separation has taken on Yousef and the sister he’s closest to, Aseel. (30 minutes)

By Chana Joffe-Walt; Produced by Nancy Updike

Act Two

Week Eleven

Mohammed Mhawish, a reporter who left Gaza a year ago with his family, talks to a young woman in Gaza about how she manages her hunger. Israel blockaded all food from Gaza for more than two months. (15 minutes)

Mohammed Mhawish is a contributing writer for The Nation, which is where we first read about his experiences with hunger in "What It Feels Like to Starve."

By Mohammed Mhawish; Produced by Diane Wu

Coda