Like so many Palestinians, Nadeem Srouji carries a profound family history shaped by displacement, resilience, and loss. Born in Jerusalem but barred from returning, Nadeem’s lineage reflects the broader Palestinian experience under Israeli occupation and ongoing violence.

His maternal grandfather, the prominent lawyer Aziz Shehadeh, was assassinated by an Israeli collaborator in 1985 after years of advocating for Palestinian rights through legal channels. Aziz’s son, Raja Shehadeh—Nadeem’s uncle—carried on that legacy, co-founding the human rights organization Al-Haq in 1979 and documenting their family’s story in award-winning books like Palestinian Walks and We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I.

On his father’s side, the Srouji brothers of West Jerusalem—his grandfather and great-uncle—were well-known businessmen who resisted the expropriation of their land. After the upheavals of 1948 and 1967, much of Nadeem’s family relocated to Amman, where he later lived with host Tim Hartman from 2013 to 2017.

Nadeem now lives in Los Angeles, one of millions in exile, but like so many Palestinians, he holds fast to the dream of return. His story is one thread in a larger tapestry of erasure, resistance, and enduring connection to homeland.

Dr. Thaer Ahmad is a board member of the Palestinian American Medical Association and serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at both the University of Illinois Chicago and Wake Forest School of Medicine. He is also Assistant Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Residency at Advocate Christ Medical Center on Chicago’s South Side and a former board member of MedGlobal. Born in Chicago in the 1980s to parents who emigrated from the West Bank, Dr. Ahmad has become a prominent advocate for medical and humanitarian access to Gaza. He has testified before U.S. Congress and European bodies, met with leaders including President Biden and Vice President Harris, and appeared on major media outlets such as Al Jazeera, CNN, NPR, ABC, CBS, and NBC. When interviewed by Tim on June 21, 2025, he had just been denied entry by Israeli authorities to provide emergency medical care in Gaza.

Gazan filmmaker Yousef AlHelou has endured the profound loss of numerous family members over the years as a result of the ongoing Israeli occupation. In the late summer of 2023, he traveled to Gaza to visit his sister and her family, capturing what would become the final footage of the region before the events of October 7. Tragically, shortly after that date, his sister and her seven children were killed, and their bodies have yet to be recovered.

In Episode 2 of Palestinian Stories, Yousef reflects on his memories of Gaza and shares the emotional journey behind the creation of The Phoenix of Gaza, a film born from those final, haunting images.

Yara is a medical student from Gaza City. Her family has lived in Gaza for generations and were not previously refugees from other areas of Palestine.