Rapid Response: Gaza in crisis, w/Mercy Corps’ Arnaud Quemin
Oct 26, 2023
22:56
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Arnaud Quemin, Director of Mercy Corps's Middle East operations, discusses the crisis in Gaza and the challenges faced by his team. They highlight the emotional experiences on the ground, the impact of the conflict on Mercy Corps' regional programs, and the importance of managing a crisis and planning for the future.
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Quick takeaways
The crisis in Gaza has caused immense suffering and hopelessness among the residents, leading to unprecedented destruction and tragic incidents.
Mercy Corps faces challenges in providing aid, including relocation of team members to ensure safety, limited resources, and the need to establish connections with local authorities for a steady pipeline of aid.
Deep dives
Current Crisis in Gaza
The podcast episode features an interview with Arnau Kimah, the Middle East Regional Director for Mercy Corps, who discusses the dire situation in Gaza following the recent conflict. He highlights how the crisis has caused immense suffering for the residents, leading to tragic incidents and a sense of hopelessness. Kimah shares stories of trapped individuals and the challenges faced by his team in providing aid. The situation is described as an unprecedented magnitude of destruction and a defining time for the region.
Challenges Faced by Mercy Corps
Arnau Kimah explains the difficulties faced by Mercy Corps in responding to the crisis in Gaza. He discusses the relocation of their team members to ensure their safety and the complex task of coordinating aid efforts. Kimah emphasizes the limited resources and the insufficiency of the aid that has been able to enter Gaza so far. He also mentions their ongoing efforts to establish connections with local authorities to facilitate a steady pipeline of aid once conditions allow.
Maintaining Neutrality and Discipline
Arnau Kimah reflects on the importance of maintaining neutrality and discipline amidst such a crisis. He emphasizes Mercy Corps' role as an operational organization driven by the imperative to deliver aid and support. Kimah shares the challenges of staying neutral in a politically charged situation and acknowledges the emotions running high within their team. He also discusses his approach of drawing on his fascination for the complexity of human situations and finding support within his team to navigate through the challenges.
Keeping calm in a crisis is essential — and extremely difficult. In this special Rapid Response, we hear what it’s like right now in the Gaza Strip. Mercy Corps’s Arnaud Quemin talks with Bob Safian from Amman, Jordan about how his team in Gaza is coping, sharing first-hand accounts from those on the ground. As director of the humanitarian organization’s Middle East operations, Arnaud himself had to relocate from Beirut due to the crisis. He shares how he’s trying to help his team and others in need. Despite high emotions, he says, there’s an imperative to stay neutral, to enable eventual progress.