The Gaza GFM's are being deleted and marked as spam again. Sadly, there is a generally held, and false, assumption that these funds are mostly scams. I wanted to address that. The Palestinians need these donations to survive amidst the aid blockade. There's no aid getting in from the charities. 1/4 - ThreadSky

alexwinter.com • 1 day ago

The Gaza GFM's are being deleted and marked as spam again. Sadly, there is a generally held, and false, assumption that these funds are mostly scams. I wanted to address that. The Palestinians need these donations to survive amidst the aid blockade. There's no aid getting in from the charities. 1/4

Reposted from Alex Winter

My friend Tasneem in Gaza and I speak daily. She's fully verified but still has her accounts deleted and marked as spam by @moderation.bsky.app- as if the threat of death and starvation wasn't stressful enough for her and her family. Please give anything you can. 🙏

www.gofundme.com/f/help-tasne...

Comments

elbelbumble.bsky.social•21 hours ago

Unfortunately, the Gazan GFM accounts coincided with loads of actual scam accounts so initially I blocked all. Since then, I've seen how many of the GFMs are, sadly, real. I can't donate to many but now will only block if someone is threatening or actually spamming instead of simply asking for help.

susminervamdocet.bsky.social•19 hours ago

keep in mind: for people in Palestine right now, spamming is asking for help. they need to reach as many potential donors as possible as quickly as possible, because their lives depend on it. and so, they spam. and so would any of us in their situation

elbelbumble.bsky.social•17 hours ago

Absolutely, I was hoping that was my point. However 'inconvenient' or overwhelming it may be to have people we don't know, and may be are wary to trust, asking for money, it is nothing compared to what is happening to those doing the asking xx

ahmadjohary16.bsky.social•18 hours ago

My friend, why are you constantly ignoring us like this? Do we really not deserve your support? Do we not need help? Will you continue like this, making us beg you to stand by us even once? We are not asking for anything, just once. Look at us with your heart.💔💔

gene-bernache.bsky.social•1 day ago

I understand that they are real and just trying to survive. But if aid isn't getting in just what will they spend the money on?

arielgordon.bsky.social•1 day ago

Aid is not getting in but there are supplies available to purchase at extremely high prices, at least for now. Individuals/families who can get donations can afford to buy the supplies - food, medications and other necessities - that are available.

gene-bernache.bsky.social•1 day ago

So black market is getting things in? Some things never change.

liane.bsky.social•1 day ago

We should be thankful that there is a black market. If Israel could, it would stop that as well.

charlottereads.com•17 hours ago

many people are saving it to pay the obscene border crossing fees when the border finally does reopen.

gene-bernache.bsky.social•1 day ago

I'd also love to help but I'm in a position where I'm receiving help myself.

liane.bsky.social•1 day ago

What little flour is available has skyrocketed in price. If you don’t have $300 for a sac of flour, you’re not eating.

gene-bernache.bsky.social•1 day ago

Hooboy. This is all so disgusting. And I don't see an end anytime soon.

haecnicola.bsky.social•1 day ago

Just fyi you can ask Gazans questions like this if you approach with care & empathy (& are not invasive). But only do this if you are serious about helping them in some way.

helpfamily8.bsky.social•22 hours ago

"My life is in danger and you can save me. Please, all I need is a single post from you with my link—it’s on my page."
🙏😥😔💔🇵🇸

zmcadler.bsky.social•1 day ago

Genuine question- how does our money help if no aid is getting in? How can they buy the things they need if those things don’t exist within Gaza?

alexwinter.com•1 day ago

food is sold on the black market at spiked prices. It’s the only way people can eat.

jenniekermode.bsky.social•21 hours ago

There's that, and also some people are getting out by bribing border guards etc. Again, dodgy people profit, but lives are saved. Where international civil society fails to function as it should, others step into the gap.

kittyvoltaire.bsky.social•1 day ago

How are they getting food and supplies in?

luckyerica3.bsky.social•1 day ago

I donated to a fund after a Palestinian person contacted me, they immediately sent me multiple DMs, pushing me to give them my phone number. I explained I would donate the day I got paid and first thing that morning, got a demand to pay up. /1

luckyerica3.bsky.social•1 day ago

I donated on the off chance this was real but honestly, it was impossible to tell if it was a scammed diverting funds and I'd done the checks it's possible to do. I don't think healthy caution paying strangers money online is a lack of solidarity.

haecnicola.bsky.social•1 day ago

Palestinians ask for your phone number because they use WhatsApp to communicate. They have a hard time accessing internet there bc so much infrastructure has been destroyed. They often have to travel or even climb on a roof to get a signal, but on WhatsApp they are connected all the time 1/2

haecnicola.bsky.social•1 day ago

Cautiousness is ofc important but there are ppl & grps who work to ✅ these families by video chatting, reverse img searches etc. Molly Shah has a v useful 📍 post w info on this & issues Gazans face. Remember they are desperate & money isn’t money to them, it’s 🥘 & 💊. In other words, it’s life /end

luckyerica3.bsky.social•23 hours ago

OK, but again, I'm not in a position to give my phone number to a stranger in Gaza and sustain conversations, that is a really valuable sort of activism but not everyone can do this. I did check Molly's page etc but I wish there was an

luckyerica3.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Acknowledgment that here that there are different levels to giving money to people in Gaza and offering direct mutual aid. Expecting everybody to uncritically give to every account to that tags them, give out your phone number, WhatsApp strangers who may or may not be in a war zone,

familyelbawab.bsky.social•22 hours ago

I am in dire need. Please help me and donate — I need to spread my voice💔🙏

luckyerica3.bsky.social•17 hours ago

I'll donate today ♡

haecnicola.bsky.social•14 hours ago

🥹💛

familyelbawab.bsky.social•17 hours ago

Bless your heart, thank you so much ❤️

agtmadcat.bsky.social•10 hours ago

I have a question, if you don't mind?

If the borders are sealed and food isn't getting in and people aren't getting out, how does money help? Are we funding important smuggling work? Or something else?

carlnyberg312.bsky.social•1 day ago

The appeals I reposted, I linked to.

BlueSky should hire someone to help the Palestinians stay in compliance with BlueSky rules.
https://bsky.app/profile/carlnyberg312.bsky.social/post/3liwt7bil5k2s

dotsea.bsky.social•16 hours ago

They really don't need to do that. Bluesky is making an active decision to suppress Palestinians and their supporters. We don't need them to add someone to "help Palestinians post better" we need the moderators of Bluesky to stop engaging in Zionism and suppression.

walkinginaustin.bsky.social•1 day ago

https://chng.it/LCKM55jdng

haecnicola.bsky.social•1 day ago

The number of deleted accounts is heartbreaking. A very good visual of the hostility Gazans experience here.

kristiwinters.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Are these US based? Is it possible to host them in other countries? Like .uk or .de or .fr?

alexwinter.com•15 hours ago

Most are hosted in Europe. Tasneem's is hosted by a benefactor in the UK.

downwithmusk.bsky.social•15 hours ago

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smellyelon.bsky.social•15 hours ago

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kulthea.net•17 hours ago

You can still donate to official charities. Charities such as MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) who are on the ground in Palestine, providing assistance where they can.

The UN have recognised Israel's blockade of food to be a war crime. International governments need to do more!

dotsea.bsky.social•16 hours ago

Israel is preventing any aid from getting into Gaza and they have been for two months. The reason the mutual aid posts are important is because that's the only way for people in Gaza to actually get access to things. What you give to organizations "on the ground" is not getting in.

kulthea.net•16 hours ago

So people should not give any money to official charities who have the expertise, manpower, and multinational assistance in dealing with these atrocities? And instead pay money to individual people vetted by somebody else on social media?

You can of course donate to both.

dotsea.bsky.social•16 hours ago

No, that's not what suggesting. I'm just pointing out where money is most effective right now.

They don't have the manpower or multinational assistance to even get into where the starving people are right now. The starving people need help now.

I don't know why you are being defensive.

kulthea.net•16 hours ago

Because every time someone mentions official charities, someone has to shoot them down claiming that charities can't help. MAP are in Palestine helping people daily.

If people don't feel comfortable donating to individual people, they can still donate to an official charity.

lizardry.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Donating money directly to individuals is always, always more efficient.

kulthea.net•15 hours ago

For that one person yes.

psiop.kawaii.social•15 hours ago

If these are scams, than the scammers are capable of producing the most convincing AI images known to humanity and we have already lost the hyperwar.

Every day we see a new vision of hell that we will never unsee.

nataliewrites.bsky.social•8 hours ago

They could be stealing pictures from other sources. That’s a common scammer tactic. I personally want to promote legit accounts. I’m just not sure which ones are and which ones aren’t.

srhansen.bsky.social•1 day ago

Thank you so much for speaking out for the people here from Gaza.

This platform and hordes of liberals intentionally make their life even more difficult than it currently is.

To the people reporting Gazan accounts - you are filth.

fluffsociety.bsky.social•1 day ago

I just give a few if I can, and leave the fate to GFM. I did get refunds before but I have no way to verify if they are scams or not

cyanlol.bsky.social•1 day ago

There’s not really any way for them to promote their fundraisers besides self-promotion, and it’s pretty hard to self-promote anything without seeming a little spammy. I can see why an automated algorithm would flag those posts as spam, but we must take context into consideration in these times

dotsea.bsky.social•16 hours ago

It is not just the algorithm. People report the posts.

cyanlol.bsky.social•1 day ago

I know promoting a fundraiser on an unrelated post or asking everyone to retweet your post would normally be considered spam. But they do not have much other options than e-begging. It’s not like they’re able to advertise their GoFundMes on TV, news outlets, or traditional media.

blodeuweddcrone.bsky.social•1 day ago

📌

yallaaktivera.bsky.social•23 hours ago

But even if a non insignificant percentage would not be genuine (which isn’t, as you point out), the human cost of ignoring them in the off chance something isn’t right is just too high

agayrattlesnake.bsky.social•20 hours ago

I would rather give a donation to a scammer than have an innocent go without

memeyasser3.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Please, brother, help my children. Please help me by sharing my story. We are very tired. My children are making my little girl suffer from malnutrition.😭😭😭💔🙏

claudiaputnam.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Is there any other platform. It seems like there was at least one other.

jenelaina.bsky.social•23 hours ago

https://Chuffed.org is one. This is their homepage rn.

Disclaimer I've never used em but I have given and personally know folks who've received.

LaunchGood is a Muslim focused one, same that haven't used but have given.

lizardry.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Many are using Chuffed now. They are friendlier to Palestinians but unfortunately not as trusted as GFM.

mno.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Gazafunds

snailbunnydesigns.bsky.social•7 hours ago

I understand where you are coming from but the way some behave it does seem a bit scammy. I know they are desperate but when it’s in response to something unrelated one wonders. Sadly I wouldn’t put it past some to try and prophet off this tragedy

snailbunnydesigns.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Thank you for doing the research though, it makes me feel a bit better about it all

joeinaustralia.bsky.social•23 hours ago

You answered a few people who had the same question I did by saying: aid isn't coming in, but a few people are smuggling food in.

Isn't it actually more likely that the food was looted from aid trucks, and that it's being sold by Hamas and/or other armed groups?

greatpretender133.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Why is that more likely?

joeinaustralia.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Because they control northern Gaza, used to control the rest of Gaza, and hijacked aid trucks are the reason aid groups stopped distributing aid themselves.

greatpretender133.bsky.social•23 hours ago

But Israel has had a complete blockade in place for some time now. Isn't it equally plausible that a country that routinely talks about how stopping aid at the border in order to defeat hamas is stopping aid?

joeinaustralia.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Here's one of the reports I got from searching for "gaza trucks hijacked", without the quotes:

greatpretender133.bsky.social•22 hours ago

What's interesting about that article is the details could back either of us up

joeinaustralia.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Sure. I don't dispute that. But there were many reports of aid trucks being hijacked, and the contents must have ended up with the hijackers. ISTM likely that most goods being sold come from these and other warehoused supplies rather than goods smuggled through IDF lines.

skyinlatin.bsky.social•1 day ago

I love you ♥️

anaafnanooiii.bsky.social•16 hours ago

@alexwinter.com
Unfortunately, because I am trying to ask for support by donating, I am constantly banned, knowing that I have lost everything I own and I live on donations, everything here is very expensive because of the lack of it, the closure of crossings and the blockade imposed on us😭😭

anaafnanooiii.bsky.social•14 hours ago

@alexwinter.com
Ian real oerson in Gaza

alexwinter.com•1 day ago

The GFM's are the only way to feed their families and save to escape the constant attacks. So how do I know these people are real? I know the area and the people firsthand. I've spent significant time in Gaza and am familiar with the terrain of Rafah and Gaza City, of Jabalia and Jabalia Camp. 2/4

raniayu.bsky.social•10 hours ago

Good evening Mr. Alexander, I am from Rafah and have been displaced for more than a year. I am living in difficult circumstances because of the war. Please help me spread the word.🇵🇸🙏❤️

alexwinter.com•1 day ago

I know what questions to ask and what to listen for. And I was also skeptical at first, and wary of scammers. I asked a lot of questions. And what I discovered was somewhat overwhelming, and is why I'm so persistent in helping here. The VAST majority of Gaza GFM's on Bluesky are authentic. 3/4

mbrzz.bsky.social•1 day ago

I have not once ever seen a fake Gazan gfm, anyone that says they have is best case, speaking in bad faith but more often than not they are lying.

whetstone.bsky.social•1 day ago

The only one I kind of side-eyed was shared with how close they were to their goal, and when I went to put them over the top they were funded >$26,000 but the goal had been bumped up so they were farther away again. And that probably wasn’t *fake* it just meant I didn’t choose to give to that one.

mbrzz.bsky.social•1 day ago

thats just how gfm works. its like a tiered thing, the gfm's dont always display the exact amounts people need, its like tiers. that gfm was real i am certain.

whetstone.bsky.social•1 day ago

ah, i didn’t realize you can’t just set the whole goal & have it show from the beginning. thanks for letting me know!

royaldutchofdukes.bsky.social•8 hours ago

Also keep in mind the price gouging these people are subject to, the people smuggling basic necessities in to them are not doing it out of altruism, they're trying to profit off of an impossible situation. The goals probably go up because the prices they are forced to pay to stay alive are going up

alexwinter.com•1 day ago

You're seeing an inordinately large number of GFM's because this is a massive humanitarian crisis, with civilians being trapped, starved and killed in numbers that have been greatly under-reported. Maybe it's easier on the psyche to assume these people are all fake and move on. But I can't. /end

katespeace.bsky.social•1 day ago

Thank you, Alex. You're a light and have such a huge heart. You are greatly appreciated on this app. Free Palestine. 🇵🇸

raniayu.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Çok teşekkür ederim. Kendisine bu konuda bana yardımcı olması için birden fazla kez konuştum. Bana yardım edin lütfen. Gazze'deki savaş nedeniyle şartlarım zor. Onun bu haberi yaymamda bana yardımcı olmasını istiyorum.

dave-littler.bsky.social•1 day ago

Here's the big question I keep butting up against:

Let's say I send money to someone who's in Gaza. How do they then spend in on food in a situation where no food is allowed in and where I assume that local agriculture has been destroyed? I just need to understand how my money becomes food.

haecnicola.bsky.social•1 day ago

There’s nothing stopping you from talking to Gazan people if you have questions

alexwinter.com•1 day ago

Aid is blocked so the charities can’t get their supplies in. That doesn’t stop people from smuggling food in at extremely high rates. That supply is limited and meager. But without it many more would be dead from starvation.

raniayu.bsky.social•17 hours ago

Lütfen Bay Alexander, hayatımın çocuklarımla birlikte yiyeceksiz cehenneme dönmesini engellememe yardım edin.

dave-littler.bsky.social•1 day ago

That's pretty grim, but it makes sense. There's always going to be someone there to exploit the desperation and suffering of others.

rimosama11.bsky.social•9 hours ago

Dear Alex🥺💔
I am a girl from Gaza living in extremely difficult conditions. All I want is to save my mom and dad from this famine they are suffering so much.Please contact me, I beg you. I am dying😭😔😔🙏🏻

smellyelon.bsky.social•23 hours ago

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pantstrovich.bsky.social•1 day ago

I can't either. If I'm not online trying to help them every day, I literally get nightmares from the guilt. I hate what's be done to them.

pantstrovich.bsky.social•1 day ago

Being*

familydema.bsky.social•10 hours ago

I hope you also know that we all need your help. It is not limited to one person. I know that you cannot help everyone, but think about it and change a new friend. We love you from within the sector.🩵

pixelfish.bsky.social•1 day ago

And if folks don’t know, they can just mute and leave them in peace. They do more harm shutting down families relying on hopes.

mana90.bsky.social•14 hours ago

"I am Manal from Gaza. Please support me and my family in meeting our needs."😢💔

alexwinter.com•1 day ago

Oh, and I found receipts. These are from 25 years ago. Heartbreaking how little remains in Gaza.

myfreecats.com•22 hours ago

It's just soo great to know that you're not just a great actor and producer, but also a great person!

More of this raising the voices of the less privileged, and less of the speaking over them!

tnemo229.bsky.social•22 hours ago

I hope to meet you one day, my friend

mana90.bsky.social•14 hours ago

"I am Manal from Gaza. Please support me and my family in meeting our needs."😢💔

mana90.bsky.social•16 hours ago

Hello, I am Manal from Gaza. I hope you can help me and my family so that we can meet the minimum 😢💔

kevinriggle.bsky.social•1 day ago

For someone with a cybersecurity and payments background, can you, as my girlfriend would say, hum me a few bars?

kevinriggle.bsky.social•1 day ago

Because from where I sit, uh, history says if you use the techniques of spammers then you generally are a spammer

thegorf.bsky.social•1 day ago

One of my biggest bucket list items was to travel through Palestine. God I hope I can someday.

claudiaputnam.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Sure you can. If you don’t mind it being one big stupid resort run by Trump and other warlords.

elledeejo.bsky.social•1 day ago

Some have also had their (already raised/donated) funds frozen by GoFundMe. I've tried several ways to get in touch with GFM, to vouch for one person: emailing comms people or execs, writing to info@ or help@, etc. I've never gotten a response. See latest update: https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-evacuate-help-save-ibrahims-parents

terryintransit.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Thanks for you hard work to get the message out!

anaafnanooiii.bsky.social•16 hours ago

Where exactly is this place, Alex? (chuckles)
I was surprised when I learned that you had visited Gaza..

mrpussy.xyz•1 day ago

you're a great person Alex. a light.

shmegegge.bsky.social•14 hours ago

Kind of you to say, mr pussy.

lostboyfen.bsky.social•15 hours ago

The fact that you need to provide receipts for her is devastating. Donating as soon as my paycheck comes through. Thank you for continuing to be a voice for the voiceless

ebonibunni.bsky.social•17 hours ago

I was wondering why the posts were deleted

conordale.bsky.social•1 day ago

You're a good guy, Alex. Thank you for using your voice for people who need help. Even when there a whole lot in your industry don't have the courage to do the same.

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