Last month, I wrote about the phenomenon of scam online fundraising campaigns for Gaza’s needy sprouting up. I asked at the time: Is money donated to these scam campaigns going to end up in the hands of Hamas?
According to the investigative work of anonymous Israeli commentator Abu Ali Express (as translated by Twitter user Imshin), at least some of it might, but much of it may be going to private scam artists.
2/ @Abualiexpress reports that Fatah elements have been using Social Media to fight what he calls digital beggars, who have been taking advantage of the poor of #Gaza to pocket the easy money of donations. #thegazayoudontsee
— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
3/ Both private people and so-called charitable organizations are involved and it is a serious and widespread phenomenon.
— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
4/ Here you see a text sent by Rahma, a Gaza charity org, to aid recipients, telling them to bring a child to be photographed, as a prerequisite for receiving bread. Supplying donors with photographs of poor #Gaza children is an important part of the Gaza donations industry. pic.twitter.com/75VkxikwyF
— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
5/ A few days ago, a brave reporter from #Rafah called Yusuf Hassan published an investigative report about abuse of the needy in #Gaza, specifically the sexual abuse of poverty-stricken women in Gaza as a condition for receiving aid and food donations collected for the poor. pic.twitter.com/SEsY2nD09Z
— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
6/ Hassan revealed on his Facebook page https://t.co/yvjcrDrcfN the name of one of the abusers who invited poor Gaza women “to receive donations” in various apartments he owns in the #Gaza Strip.
The name of the man is Saeed al-Taweel. pic.twitter.com/jNtuWEX4j1— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
7/ What Hassan didn’t realize is that while al-Taweel is close to Mohammad Dahlan (Fatah), he is also connected to Hamas security forces. @Abualiexpress reminds us that Hamas and its cronies are the main benefactors of the #Gaza donations industry.
— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
8/ Following his Facebook exposé, Hassan was summoned to visit “his local police dungeon”, as @Abualiexpress elegantly describes it, in #Rafah #Gaza. During his visit, he apparently saw the error of his ways… pic.twitter.com/JOB1LFV57S
— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
9/ Yesterday, a shell-shocked looking Hassan apologized on FB for the al-Taweel story and explaining that it was all a mistake and that brother Saeed al-Taweel is, in fact, a squeaky-clean upstanding member of the community… https://t.co/snyrJe7mBT pic.twitter.com/zpWUno2QTK
— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
10/ @Abualiexpress suggests we use our imagination as to why he is wearing a warm coat with a high collar on such a warm day. #Gaza
— Imshin (@imshin) May 13, 2020
11/ Follow up 1 https://t.co/Aa0it8wlJb
— Imshin (@imshin) May 21, 2020
12/ Follow up 2 https://t.co/UNrgZNLIyG
— Imshin (@imshin) May 21, 2020
Disturbing to say the least. And yet another example of how the palestinians are their own worst enemies.
