Wed Jul 24

TikTok users are now using grassroots fundraising to help people in Gaza

Written by: Kelly Lewis, Research Fellow in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S), and the Emerging Technologies Lab, Monash University

As Israel’s military assault and siege of Gaza continues, Palestinians face increasingly hostile and inhumane conditions. Israel continues to obstruct ^[1] humanitarian response operations.

While the international humanitarian system in Gaza remains on the “verge of collapse ^[2]”, mutual aid ^[3] and crowdsourced fundraising networks are providing alternative means of direct relief to Palestinians.

One such grassroots collective is Operation Olive Branch ^[4]. The initiative has generated just over 50,000 videos on TikTok ^[5], many posted by creators with millions of followers.

So what is Operation Olive Branch, and is it effective for helping people in Palestine?

What is Operation Olive Branch?

Launched in February 2024, Operation Olive Branch describes itself ^[6] as a volunteer-led, global solidarity initiative. Its key campaigns are focused on Gaza, Congo and Sudan.

The initiative’s mandate ^[7] is not to start fundraising campaigns. Rather, it verifies information about mutual aid initiatives and family fundraisers, then compiles those details into a public spreadsheet ^[8]. Donors can then choose a family or aid project to support.

Mutual aid is a form of collective political participation ^[9] that helps people in times of crisis. People, usually unpaid, collaborate to try to address systemic failings and inequalities.

Targeted engagement operations via social media underpin Operation Olive Branch’s advocacy. Campaigns such as #operationfloodgates seek to amplify awareness and drive funding relief. This is bolstered by a global network of volunteers who create content and host livestream fundraisers on behalf of people in need.

Initiatives like this provide a crucial lifeline by enabling people and organisations on the ground to request the support they need. This can range from emergency evacuation fees and medical aid, to food and financial support to afford the escalating cost of buying essential goods or shelter.

Donation appeals are generated through verified fundraising platforms such as GoFundMe with donor protection guarantees. While this type of funding pipeline is not without issue, it does provide pathways for relief and evacuation.

How can Palestinians escape Gaza?

Israel has long blockaded ^[10] the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza. Since the onset of the war, these restrictions have only been made more crippling by an obscure system ^[11] of permits, checkpoints and sporadic border closures.

The Rafah crossing had provided a sole evacuation point for people into Egypt until it was seized by Israel ^[12] on May 7.

Previously, limited numbers ^[13] of Palestinians were approved for evacuation on medical grounds or if they held foreign or dual citizenship. Some managed to pay travel agents and fixers exorbitant fees ^[14] for passage to Egypt.

A sunlit town with a large plume of smoke flowing into the sky

Israel performed an airstrike at the Rafah border crossing on May 24, 2024. HAITHAM IMAD/EPA ^[15]

Beit Hanoun (also known as Erez) operates as the sole crossing point into Israel, but only Palestinians holding Israeli-issued permits can enter and exit. Yet many Palestinians who have Israeli residency or citizenship remain trapped in Gaza because Israeli officials have refused to allow ^[16] direct passage to Israel or authorise evacuation.

Limited medical evacuations resumed ^[17] on June 26 via the Karem Abu Salem crossing (also known as Kerem Shalom), which is usually reserved for goods. Some Palestinians travelled onto Egypt and abroad for urgent treatment.

Evacuating doesn’t fix everything

But even for Palestinians who have managed to evacuate to Egypt, their suffering continues.

Palestinians face barriers ^[18] in accessing economic relief and basic social services because they do not hold the required legal documentation or temporary residency rights. This means they are unable to work, enrol children in school, access financial and banking services or obtain health insurance.

A group of people walk together, carrying their possessions through rubble.

Evacuating Gaza has been extremely challenging. MOHAMMED SABER/EBA ^[19]

Evacuated Palestinians in Egypt also cannot access official aid mechanisms. This is because the Egyptian government does not recognise ^[20] the mandate of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to help recently arrived Palestinian evacuees. Egypt also hasn’t allowed the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) an operational presence in the country. This highlights the limits of official aid mandates and how they can be politicised.

With no official UN agency coordinating and facilitating aid relief efforts for Palestinians in Egypt, people are relying on grassroots volunteers and mutual aid collectives.

Harsh realities

While crowdsourced fundraising platforms offer the promise of support, it’s not that simple in practice.

Palestinians whose campaign has achieved its goal still face the hurdle of accessing the funds. For example, GoFundMe does not enable ^[21] direct fund distribution into Palestinian bank accounts. This forces Gazans to rely on beneficiaries abroad to receive and send funds via money transfer systems such as Western Union or PayPal.

Additionally, GoFundMe has come under scrutiny ^[22] for delaying the release of funds from campaigns that have been placed under review for compliance.

Complaints have also been levelled against PayPal for freezing accounts deemed “high risk ^[23]”. Reports of pro-Israeli saboteurs ^[24] trying to thwart Palestinian fundraisers by reporting campaigns for suspicious activities have also emerged.

PayPal has long been accused of discriminating ^[25] against Palestinians ^[26]. Operation Olive Branch has also had to impose additional verification measures ^[27] to counter scammers who appropriate Palestinians’ images and videos to steal donations.

Sanctions imposed against Hamas by Israel and Western governments require international financial institutions to comply with heightened anti-money laundering and counterterror financing regulations ^[28].

Since October 7, companies have required people to provide additional information as part of the measures. GoFundMe requires ^[29] documentation verifying the identity of both the account holder and the recipient. This is in addition to detailed information of where the funds will be distributed and how they will be used. It also requires a declaration of intent if transferring funds to an organisation.

This can include collection of sensitive personal and biometric data ^[30]. This in turn poses significant privacy concerns, especially because the data could be shared with other parties, including US and Israeli law and intelligence agencies.

Power to the people

The popularity of mutual aid as a form of activism is nothing new. But, in these times of multiple crises, it has gained renewed focus.

Mutual aid functions as a way for everyday people to do social justice and solidarity work. The philosophy underpinning mutual aid shifts the focus away ^[31] from “top-down” structures of traditional humanitarian organisations. Instead, it builds “bottom-up” cooperation for collective benefit.

In Palestine, international aid efforts have historically failed ^[32] to foster Palestinian economic self-determination. They haven’t built stable institutions or provided long-lasting relief from violence and deprivation. Today, humanitarian efforts are being used as strategic instruments of foreign policy and diplomatic competition ^[33] in Gaza.