Gaza Soup Kitchen: Mutual Aid Under Siege | Sumud Podcast w/ Dr. Ed Hasan
This special episode of the Sumud Podcast centers the Gaza Soup Kitchen and the people sustaining it under siege. Dr. Ed Hasan is joined by Hani Almadhoun to reflect on how a grassroots mutual aid effort became a lifeline amid blocked aid, collapsed infrastructure, and constant bombardment. The episode honors the legacy of Chef Mahmoud Almadhoun and features real footage filmed by Gaza Soup Kitchen videographers and photographers Omar Almadhoun, Leena Almadhoun, Khaled Qadas, and Mai Almadhoun, offering a direct window into life, labor, and survival in Gaza.

Hani Almadhoun is a Palestinian American humanitarian and the Senior Director of Philanthropy at UNRWA USA. He is also the co-founder of the Gaza Soup Kitchen, a grassroots initiative launched in early 2024 to provide hot meals, food parcels, and water to families across Gaza amid siege and famine. Based in the United States, Hani coordinates fundraising, advocacy, and media engagement while supporting operations on the ground.

In this conversation, we explore
How the Gaza Soup Kitchen began
Operating under siege with cut telecom, closed banks, and constant displacement
The photographers and volunteers working on the ground in Gaza
Chefs, kitchens, and survival logistics including hot meals, food parcels, and water trucks
UNRWA, aid access, and competing aid models in Gaza
Chef Mahmoud’s legacy, his killing, and why the work continues
What people outside Gaza can do to show up and sustain support

Director: Dr. Ed Hasan | 2025