For Palestinian civilians who are unable to pay the exorbitant fees demanded to cross the border with Egypt, crowdfunding is emerging as the only alternative to forced exile.
“Many people say that we can’t do anything to support the Palestinians. (…) Why not donate to a certified crowdfunding campaign?” In the dark Gaza night, Ahmed, 21, films himself with his phone. For several weeks, this medical student at al-Azhar University in Gaza has been posting short videos in English on his TikTok account with his sister. His appeals for generosity are not aimed at supporting humanitarian NGOs present in the enclave, but at financing his family’s evacuation to Egypt.
In the description of his profile on the social network, a link redirects to a kitty hosted on the American site GoFundMe. His initiative is far from isolated. On the crowdfunding platformcampaigns to support Gazan civilians have taken on unprecedented proportions. “We have seen an incredible outpouring of support for those affected by the current conflict in the Middle East”reports GoFundMe’s director of corporate affairs, Elisa Liberatori Finocchiaro. In less than nine months, 150 million dollars (139 million euros) were paid.
For tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the Gaza Strip, exit permits issued by the Egyptian travel agency Hala Consulting and Tourism represent the only way to leave the enclave. But since the start of the war, the The prices of these sesame seeds have soared. The Hala company, owned by businessman and Bedouin leader Ibrahim al-Argani, a close friend of Egyptian President al-Sisi, is accused of having boosted prices. “It’s not a business, it’s a gang,” sums up Assia*, a Palestinian woman from Gaza City who is trying to flee with her family.
“We don’t trust them. In fact, we don’t trust anyone, but we just have no other choice.”
Assia, resident of Gazato franceinfo
Permits are bought today at least $5,000 (€4,650) per person, according to an investigation published by the collective of journalists OCCRP and the Egyptian media Saheeh Masr. As a result, many Palestinians are forced to borrow money or sell their property to leave the territory. Ameera and her family had to pay nearly $40,000 to make the crossing and travel to Cairo. “NOTWe had to sell our cars, our jewelry and use all our savings,” explains the medical student, who now lives in Egypt. After paying the amount requested by the Egyptian company, she waited a month before getting permission to cross the border through the Rafah checkpoint. “For us, the wait was very difficult. Especially since my grandfather is diabetic.”
For those unable to pay these exorbitant amounts, crowdfunding is the only possible alternative. But GoFundMe’s terms of use restrict the use of the platform for Palestinian civilians. To host a kitty on the site, the creator of the campaign must be present in one of the 20 countries where the American company is active and have a bank account supported by the platform. “These elements are essential for the verification and validation process necessary for the withdrawal of funds”explain Elisa Liberatori Finocchiaro.
This shortlist does not include the Palestinian territories, Israel or the states of the Arab world.. “If a person in need is not in one of these countries, they can work with a friend or family member who is there and meets the requirements (…) to create a fundraiser on their behalf.”details the company. This is the case of Ahmed, who asked his aunt, who lives in the Netherlands, to create the collection for his family.
But once this first administrative barrier has been crossed, other challenges await candidates for departure, such as making themselves known on social networks.Three months after creating his fundraiser and despite his efforts, donations are struggling to come in. “We have collected 800 euros so far”explains the Palestinian student, contacted by email in June. “I check the site not every day, but every hour. At the moment, it is far from enough: we need $30,000 just to be able to (…) restart our lives from scratch.”
For Assia, the observation is quite different. With $160,000 raised in a few days, the young woman’s fundraising has met with unexpected success. “I created my kitty quite late compared to others”she explains. Skeptical about leaving the place where she grew up, Assia decided to open a kitty at the end of April. Faced with hunger and famine in the northern Gaza Strip, “the situation had become unbearable.” This initiative constitutes its “only possible way out”.
At first, Assia says she sent messages to foreign content creators to try to get some exposure. After two months of effort and unanswered messages, “I decided to make my own videos instead of using influencers,” she explains. At the beginning of June, she launched on TikTok, without much experience. Before the war, “all my social media accounts were private, I wasn’t necessarily very active.”
“From time to time I write my videos to better guide people. Many people want to help us, but most don’t know how.”
Assia, resident of Gazato franceinfo
With a calm tone and a fixed gaze towards the camera, she published a first video, then a second, which went viral. “I am not an expert (…), but my level of English may have made things easier,” she explains. Her counter now displays more than 100,000 TikTok subscribers and several million views. This unexpected notoriety has allowed her to receive a providential windfall. “We hadn’t received a dollar in the last two months and in one week we had reached $70,000.” Since then, the helping hands have continued to flow in. More than 8,000 donations for Assia and her family have been made since the kitty went online. “I couldn’t be more grateful for your support.”she wrote to her donors.
But these digital collections sometimes prove exhausting. Between anger and guilt, Ahmed admits to being inhabited by a feeling of unease. “Before the war, my family gave to people in need. The idea of receiving money was something very difficult.. But I finally accepted it.”he says. “We are in an unjust world. We have lost everything: our home, our university and our homeland. This kitty is our escape from this reality.”
Even if Ahmed manages to raise the money, he knows that the hardest part is yet to come and that adapting to a new life in Egypt will be a major challenge. “I will have to start my studies from scratch. The Egyptian universities I have been in contact with will not recognise the years I have spent here.”he confides.
Assia also shares this feeling: “I’m only waiting for one thing, to reach the goal set to finally delete my videos. Actually, nWe are not people who are used to asking for help, especially money.” Faced with the lack of any sense of security in the Palestinian enclave and the urgency of the humanitarian situation, Gaza has overcome its reluctance to open its kitty. “This is the price of our lives. We had no choice.”
* The first name has been changed at the request of the person concerned. To respect her anonymity, we have not included a link to her kitty.