The Israeli Organization Delivering Aid to Gaza – with Yotam Polizer

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IsraAID — Israel’s leading humanitarian relief group — has quietly worked inside Gaza. What began as behind-the-scenes coordination with international NGOs has grown into direct aid: delivering medicine and medical equipment, running a logistics hub, and supporting water and healthcare projects for thousands of Palestinians.

Until recently, this work was kept secret, but as the humanitarian crisis deepens — and the debate over aid grows more toxic — IsraAID has decided to speak openly.

In this episode, IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer joins host Aviva Klompas to discuss how the organization operates in Gaza, the risks it faces, and how it ensures aid doesn’t fall into the hands of Hamas.

Guest Bio

Yotam Polizer is the Global CEO of IsraAID, Israel’s largest humanitarian NGO, where he leads a team of 300+ responding to crises in 12 countries, including large-scale relief operations in Israel and Gaza following the October 7th attacks. A 2023 Charles Bronfman Award laureate, he has spearheaded missions worldwide—from evacuating at-risk Afghans during the 2021 Taliban takeover to supporting Syrian refugees in Greece and Germany, Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone, earthquake victims in Japan and Nepal, and typhoon-stricken communities in the Philippines. With 15 years’ experience in humanitarian aid and international development, Yotam serves on the boards of the Society for International Development and JustServe, is a Schusterman Fellow, and holds degrees in African studies and international relations from Tel Aviv University and the Israeli Open University.