Donors Fleeing Gaza Amid 'Catastrophic' Drop in Fundraising Efforts
Since a ceasefire took hold in October, Palestinian civilians in Gaza are facing an uncertain future with "catastrophic" drops in donations from fundraisers like Megan Hall. Hall's mutual aid funds across Australia have raised over $200,000 since February 2024 but saw a significant decline after the ceasefire.
Hall stated that even though she was able to send around $5,000 weekly during the war, for October, her campaigns only brought in just over $2,000. "The drop in donations is catastrophic. It feels like with the so-called 'ceasefire' the world thinks Palestinians don't need our help any more," Hall said.
As people in Gaza struggle to cope with the lack of aid, some aid convoys have been allowed into the territory by Israel since the ceasefire, but limited access has hindered distribution efforts. According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 1.9 million Palestinians are confined to areas exposed to rain and strong winds.
Gaza Soup Kitchen on GoFundMe raised $5.8m in February 2024 but saw donations plummet by 51% from September to October. The charity's co-founder Hani Almadhoun stated that the drop had virtually no impact, as their plans remain unchanged but are mindful of long-term effects.
Meanwhile, families in Gaza face increasing hardships due to limited aid and rising costs for essential services like housing. For example, Ahmed al-Deeb has relied on a mutual aid fund to feed his extended family of 14 since Hall established the fund six months ago. However, his family's situation worsened as he paid $300 per month for a tent in central Gaza after displacement from Gaza City.
The decline in donations is attributed largely to public perception that Palestinian suffering has ended. Others point to financial strain on ordinary people and algorithmic biases against pro-Palestinian content from social media companies like Meta, which makes it difficult for fundraisers to reach new audiences outside existing advocacy circles.
In another uncertain winter ahead for Gaza's 2 million residents, families struggle to cope with dwindling aid supplies.
Since a ceasefire took hold in October, Palestinian civilians in Gaza are facing an uncertain future with "catastrophic" drops in donations from fundraisers like Megan Hall. Hall's mutual aid funds across Australia have raised over $200,000 since February 2024 but saw a significant decline after the ceasefire.
Hall stated that even though she was able to send around $5,000 weekly during the war, for October, her campaigns only brought in just over $2,000. "The drop in donations is catastrophic. It feels like with the so-called 'ceasefire' the world thinks Palestinians don't need our help any more," Hall said.
As people in Gaza struggle to cope with the lack of aid, some aid convoys have been allowed into the territory by Israel since the ceasefire, but limited access has hindered distribution efforts. According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 1.9 million Palestinians are confined to areas exposed to rain and strong winds.
Gaza Soup Kitchen on GoFundMe raised $5.8m in February 2024 but saw donations plummet by 51% from September to October. The charity's co-founder Hani Almadhoun stated that the drop had virtually no impact, as their plans remain unchanged but are mindful of long-term effects.
Meanwhile, families in Gaza face increasing hardships due to limited aid and rising costs for essential services like housing. For example, Ahmed al-Deeb has relied on a mutual aid fund to feed his extended family of 14 since Hall established the fund six months ago. However, his family's situation worsened as he paid $300 per month for a tent in central Gaza after displacement from Gaza City.
The decline in donations is attributed largely to public perception that Palestinian suffering has ended. Others point to financial strain on ordinary people and algorithmic biases against pro-Palestinian content from social media companies like Meta, which makes it difficult for fundraisers to reach new audiences outside existing advocacy circles.
In another uncertain winter ahead for Gaza's 2 million residents, families struggle to cope with dwindling aid supplies.
i feel so bad for those people they need our help and now donors are just like "oh no more war" idk i mean i get it but $5k a week is still $5k lol maybe ppl think its all good over there? 
meanwhile my gofundme soup kitchen donations were down by 51% from sept to oct 
gaza needs our help now more than ever btw i got a new gaming rig and i'm so hyped 
I'm really worried about the people in Gaza right now. It seems like even though there is a ceasefire, donations just keep on dropping 
. I think it's because a lot of people assume that once the fighting stops, everyone will be okay, but that's not always the case. 
. The fact is, Gaza still needs help, especially now that winter is coming and people are struggling to cope with basic necessities like food and shelter. It's heartbreaking to think about families having to rely on mutual aid funds just to get by 
. We need to keep supporting organizations like Megan Hall's, even if it feels like we're not making as big of an impact as we'd like 
. The fact that Gaza still needs help after all this time is just a harsh reminder of how complex and challenging these issues can be 
.
. and what about those who can't access aid convoys or have limited resources to begin with? it's just so hard to comprehend how our actions (or lack thereof) affect others on the other side of the world 
. The Gaza Soup Kitchen's drop in donations is crazy too - $5.8m in February but only 51% of that in October 
It's heartbreaking to think about families like Ahmed al-Deeb who can't even afford basic necessities like food and shelter. 
. It doesn't make sense to me - if they're not getting any help anymore, why were people donating in the first place? 
. I mean, have you seen those pics of people living in tents and stuff? It's heartbreaking 
. Can we just keep supporting them for a bit longer, you know? 
, I cant believe its happening again! People are literally stopping their donations 
! Like, what does the ceasefire even do? It just makes ppl think everything is okay 
... it's like they forgot about them 
, $2000 4 a week is not enough 
.
. I don't think people realize how quickly things can spiral out of control when aid dries up 
.
. Newsflash: the war may be over for now, but the human impact is still so real. We can't just assume everything's gonna be okay because we're not actively fighting in Gaza anymore.
what even is the point of all this? 
the fact that people are saying Palestinians don't need help anymore is just infuriating 
its like weve forgotten that its still a human crisis over there 
. And don't even get me started on the algorithmic biases against pro-Palestinian content 
. It's like, can't we just have a platform that allows for some actual discussion and empathy without being flagged as "hateful"?