I was just talking to Ahmed @90-ghost (alongside Av, who might be reading this, idk if they’d like to be part of this post tho). He has given me permission to write a post about our conversation.
This whole thing has gotten Ahmed to the point where he admits he’s started to hate tumblr after 12 years of being on here. He has over 3k messages in his inbox and can’t handle it right now, his brother and other family members are still in Gaza and he himself doesn’t have the money to help them out. I’ve noticed that donations have slowed among palestinian fundraisers in general, before this whole debacle that a few individuals on this site started. this is anecdotal, but I know Ahmed gets like $30-$50 per week in donations at this point, and that barely makes a dent in his and his family’s needs. Remember that people in Gaza need to pay massively inflated prices for what basic necessities are available right now. I think things are looking pretty dire to the people who would like to flee Gaza but don’t have the money. It already was dire that Egyptian government, working in lockstep with Israel and the west, charges $5k+ to Ghazzawis. Hala Agency, Ibrahim Al-Argani, and the other scumbags running the Egyptian state are all demons and they’ve lined their pockets throughout this genocide. But I digress—it was dire already and now the enthusiastic aid that helped people like Ahmed seems to have run dry.
All that is to say: Ahmed can’t continue to verify peoples’ documents or promote their fundraisers at this stage. He’s privately talked to hundreds of Ghazzawis and looked at their IDs, and he was the only person doing it for a while (a very small handful of other Palestinian users on here were doing it, but they’ve also gotten overwhelmed and stopped). When he was in Gaza, Ahmed was displaced multiple times, left sleeping in tents or on the streets while in active physical danger, starving, forced to drink unsafe water, and often sick. It’s not an exaggeration to say that his body and mind have been pushed to the limit. When he told me he’s depressed all day after doing this work while attracting a ton of negativity, I told him he’s allowed to stop for the sake of his own health, because frankly he needs to focus on his physical recovery. There’s nothing selfish about that, it’s not sustainable for him to be doing this, particularly not when he’s still under the immense stress of his brother and other relatives remaining in Gaza and relying on him for help.
Since I know people will ask: I currently don’t know of anyone on tumblr who still vets fundraisers. Everyone I know of who did has had to stop. I don’t know about the inner workings of Operation Olive Branch, but they seem to be one of a few collectives with enough members to distribute this work. It IS work, and those of us who have tried to do it have done so with a low failure rate (el-shab-hussein and nabulsi’s spreadsheet had over 200 entries and they misidentified a scam as legitimate ONCE). I hope everyone will be more considerate towards the people at collectives like OOB.
This has always been a matter of personal discretion. The vetting process some users tried to implement on here is meant to help people who want to help and accept the risk of offering aid to strangers. If you don’t trust bloggers who’ve been proudly Palestinian on this site for years, that’s up to you—genuinely, it’s fair to think “I don’t know this person and I don’t know what standards they’re operating on.” In the future, anyone who has such concerns should consider asking good-faith questions to the people involved and to converse with them like adults before jumping to accusations, conspiratorial posts, etc.
Read ..
there are resources beyond those on tumblr for people to find campaigns to contribute to-- here's a list of several grassroot orgs i've come across. i'm sure there's more out there. what y'all do with this information is up to you
el-shab-hussein + nabulsi's google sheet
operation olive branch
about us: Operation Olive Branch is a volunteer-powered grassroots collective committed to the collective liberation of ALL peoples. We connect with and amplify families and mutuals and orgs in an effort to support their critical needs, which include but are not limited to their mutual aid requests. This global solidarity initiative is steered by a diverse core council of advocates from occupied Turtle Island which include Palestinian activists, the Jewish grandchild of a holocaust survivor, and everyone else in between.
gazafunds
about us: Gaza Funds is a project that connects people to crowdfunding campaigns for individuals and families from Gaza. We are a global team of (mostly) Arab and Palestinian engineers, students, writers, and academics working to help get exposure and traction to fundraisers created for people in Gaza, Palestine. We are not an organization or a charity. We do not create fundraisers and we do not collect money on behalf of them. Our work on this project is completely voluntary. We created this site as a way to give others quick access to these fundraisers for informational purposes only.
operation poppy flower (now also linked in oob's sheet)
mission statement: Our goal is to fulfill as many fundraising campaign goals as possible through crowdfunding. Please do not underestimate the power of crowdfunding: small amounts of money donated by large amounts of people. Collectively, we can all play a SIGNIFICANT role in securing the safety of our beloved brothers and sisters in Gaza.
operation watermelon
about me: Hello there! I'm the person behind Operation Watermelon. My family hails from Rameh and Nazareth, and like many Palestinians, we're spread out across the globe. Born and raised in the United States by my migrant parents, I've always felt a strong connection to my roots and a need to contribute to the cause back home.Combining my skills in 3D printing, design, and e-commerce seemed like the right way to make a difference. So, here we are. Operation Watermelon is my way of merging my passion with purpose, creating items that not only tell a story but also contribute to a cause close to my heart.It's about doing what we can, with what we have, wherever we are in the world. Thanks for being part of this journey.
project watermelon
instagram based accountfrom google sheet: Project Watermelon has personally vetted each and every donation link on this sheet. We are the creators of the spreadsheet and are the ones who maintain it. We can only provide technical support for GFM and we do not set up GFM pages.
strawberry seeds collective
from google sheet: Each fundraiser listed has been vetted by one of our volunteers and/or another reliable source. 100% of the donations made to these fundraisers go to the family or human(s) that need them. All funds are intended to provide food, medicine, shelter, and/or evacuation funding. Each fundraiser represents hope, life, and peace for the humans they aim to support - so please take a look around, and thank you for making the world a little kinder. ♡
ottawa4palestine
from google sheet: Although our team at Ottawa4Palestine has carefully vetted every link on this sheet, we acknowledge that we are fallible and may occasionally overlook errors. If you notice any discrepancies, please don't hesitate to contact us. Ultimately you are responsible for your financial decisions and the recipients of your donations. While we have assessed and communicated with each family listed here, we cannot be held liable for your choice to contribute to the GoFundMe campaigns below.
camps breakerz crew
mission statement: Camps Breakerz was founded in 2004, with CB Crew supporting the children and youth living in Gaza. Camp Breakerz offers therapeutic dance as a trauma informed practice, teaching children the art of creative expression through movement.In light of the recent and ongoing aggression, CB Crew have decided to mount a community crowdfunding initiative to further serve our people during this time of crisis.
gofund(water)me(lons) | linktree
run by yahya aka thelastturtle on instagram.
flowersfromfalasteen | linktree
instagram-based account; bedaar organization; platform to share stories of people from palestine/help them build their fundraiser campaigns
the butterflyeffect project
about us: The Butterflyeffect Project believes in the power of ordinary people to create meaningful and postive change in the world. Each week we select two campaigns to amplify on our social media accounts, with daily posts sharing the story. We choose neglected campaigns that aren't receiving the attention and support they need. We have also created this list of verified campaigns for people to donate to and spread awareness for. We have a strong vetting process so that you can be certain your money is going to people who truly need it.
bees and watermelons | linktree
mission: we are a collective of people around the globe who came together to spread awareness on the palestinian cause, amplify palestinian voices and reach for help in order to provide support; we believe in collaboration and true collective community
