1. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “100% DONATION POLICY”?
At The Gaza Fund, we have a 100% donation policy, meaning every cent received goes to the rightful recipient in Gaza. The cost of bank transfers, couriers, equipment, transport, publicity, paid volunteers, auditing aid, etc., (foreseen and unforeseen) costs are all paid by us.
Meantime, donors can voluntarily donate to our expenses fund if they wish to help us. Else, we are happy to fund The Gaza Fund by ourselves for as long as we can; and ensure 100% of what is donated goes to the people in Gaza.
2. HOW CAN YOU RUN A CHARITY WITH A 100% DONATION POLICY?
No charity can run cost-free. We too, have costs (HK$69,002+ since Feb 2021) or 6.3% of funds raised thus far (HK$1,044,801 or £100,265), as clearly disclosed online (click here).
The key point is: From transfer fees, equipment, photographs, videos, transport, volunteers, banners, website, etc., we pay 100% of all expenses incurred.
In effect, the more people donate, the more it costs The Gaza Fund but Allah (s.w.t) provides rizk. May Allah accept.
3.WHAT ARE THE OBJECTS OF THE GAZA FUND?
Our charity work is focused on up to 8 key areas. Given our manpower and funding limitations, we are active in up to 6 areas and work on a project-by-project basis, and on a needs-basis.
| Support of Women | Orphans Sponsorship/Welfare |
| Water Security | Sickness Relief |
| Hunger Relief | Education |
| Economic Empowerment | Poverty Relief |
4. DO YOU HAVE PROJECTS HELPING WOMEN?
It is often said women hold up half the sky but this does not quite capture how an empowered women can have a huge multi-generational impact on the next generation of children. Therefore, it is imperative for The Gaza Fund to actively push for and develop specific projects for women and girls including:
| General Health Needs | Menopause |
| Pregnancy | The need for marriage |
| Child-rearing/Support | Employment |
To this end, we are in the midst of identifying a female trustee in Gaza (March 2023) let alone local female volunteers that can help guide us on how best to help.
5. DO YOU HAVE ANY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS?
Soon after our application as a formally registered entity is approved, we will explore the best social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc) for us, bearing in mind how we are likely to be systematically censored, and will be subjected to arbitrary and non-transparent account suspensions and content takedowns, etc., given our middle name.
6. WITH SO MANY RESTRICTIONS ON SENDING MONEY INTO GAZA, HOW DO YOU MANAGE?
Sending aid money into Gaza is not easy and can be very expensive. We minimise our problems by:
- declaring the purpose of the payment;
- documenting everything using photographs, videos, receipts, etc.,;
- disclosing everything clearly on our website in a timely manner; and
- ensuring the recipient in Gaza is an apolitical Palestinian charity volunteer, not linked to any banned group.
7. HOW CAN WE BE SURE THE MONEY DONATED IS GOING TO GAZA?
The key is to be 100% transparent, and document every single expenditure.
Given our sole focus on Gaza, we are acutely aware of the need to be twice as vigilant as others, to ensure every dollar spent goes towards food, water, aid, medicine and education. Meantime, we have zero political affiliations.
Our single-minded goal is to help the poor and malnourished in Gaza. This is precisely why every dollar we raise is closely tracked and accounted for and disclosed, from the outset, on this website. Every expense is also disclosed and paid for by us, from our own pockets, rather than the donors.
The key decision is whether to help those who need our help the most (and closely track how every dollar gets spent on aid) or fall for the scare tactics in the arsenal of the oppressors.
8. WHY NOT DONATE TO OFFICIAL CHARITIES IN GAZA?
Sure! We encourage everyone to donate to these charities, although we at the Gaza Fund have a 100% donation policy, and some others may not. In fact, for a partial list of 49+ active reputable charities in Gaza that are doing plenty of good work, please click here.
9. WHY DO YOU NOT HAVE A “THE GAZA FUND” BANK ACCOUNT?
We launched The Gaza Fund on an ad-hoc basis on 29 January 2021 and decided to file a formal application to the HK Societies Office in Mid-July 2021. The application is pending (as of March 2023).
Once approved, we will start our application for NGO status, which will likely take another 6-9 months. Therefore, as soon as we are registered with the HK Government, we will apply for a bank account.
10. WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE GAZA FUND?
- We have a strict 100% donation policy.
- All expenses are paid out of our own pockets.
- Unlike most charities, we provide weekly and monthly financial updates.
- We disclose everything (list of donors, detail projects, photos and videos as proof) on our website.
- We are 100% transparent.
11. HOW TO ENSURE THE MONEY DOES NOT FALL INTO THE HANDS OF BANNED GROUPS?
Our aim is to deliver aid, alleviate poverty, and bring ease to those in need.
The key for us, is to identify a reliable Palestinian person living overseas. The person must not have any direct or indirect links to any banned groups. He or she must also be committed to the idea of helping the people of Gaza.
Every expense needs to be documented and an official receipt issued. Also, there is also a need to hire someone with an accounting or engineering background to oversee procurement, negotiating rates with local shops and suppliers and getting the best deal possible. With the high literacy rate in Gaza, it is easy to find one for US$300 per month.
At present, the best option is to invest in water filters, food aid packets, medications and funding education, items that can be tracked i.e., photos taken and receipts issued. The key for us, is transparency and timely disclosure.
12. I DON’T HAVE MUCH TO DONATE
It is not about the amount. We have individual donors who donated anywhere from US$13 to over US$8,000+ each. They are both, equally important to us.
Also, the term donation can be misinterpreted. Donations aren’t always meant to come in monetary forms. On the contrary, volunteering one’s time to create a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds, spreading the word among friends and family about Gaza, or setting aside time to help assemble and distribute relief kits, negotiating prices with local suppliers in Gaza, etc., are still ways of donating.
13. HOW CAN I VOLUNTEER TO HELP?
The Gaza Fund is open to all individuals and groups who choose nonviolent & unarmed resistance against the illegal Israeli occupation and Gaza siege. We are funded by the founder and other private citizens. We are not funded by, nor have any direct (or indirect) links to any political party, foreign government or armed resistance group. For details, please refer to our Regulatory Policies, which we strictly adhere to. To volunteer, please click here.
14. DOES THE GAZA FUND ACCEPT DONATIONS-IN-KIND? (CLOTHES, FOOD, ETC.,)
We are unable to accept donations-in-kind given the high cost and extreme difficulty of delivering clothes, food, medicines, etc., Apart from the arbitrary “dual-list” restrictions by Israel, the need for storage space and for someone to sift through the donated items and ensure everything donated is suitable for Gaza and its climate let alone, periodically package and transport the items – means this is an added cost we’d rather spend directly on impactful aid on the ground, on food, education, medicines, shelter repair and water filters.
The Rafah border is six hours from Cairo by car but there are usually further extensive delays, holdups, pat downs at the Egypt – Rafah border.
15. DO YOU ACCEPT BITCOIN AND CRYPTO CURRENCIES?
No, we will not accept bitcoin or crypto currencies until robust regulations and financial oversight over the identity of the sender(s) and recipient(s) are in place . The Gaza Fund also has its own Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing Policies and clearly, bitcoin or crypto currencies is not going to help our risk profile. Click here for details.
16. DO YOU OFFER CASH ASSISTANCE?
Given the limited paper trail when handing money out to the poor, cash assistance or cash handouts are not preferred (except Zakah payments to widows, single parents, orphans, etc.,) – and vulnerable individuals living in extreme poverty i.e., to cover medication, food, education, rent, shelter repair, heating, clothes, blankets, etc.,
The key therefore, is to assess, deliver, and monitor the cash assistance where possible but preferably, focus on large, scalable and trackable projects (e.g., water filters, food aid packets, medications and funding education) as well.
17. DO YOU HAVE PROJECTS IN THE WEST BANK?
Our core focus is Gaza, and Gaza alone. The situation in the West Bank or the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OpT) is bad too, but the challenges and potential solutions are quite different from what is needed in Gaza. We therefore cannot afford to spread ourselves thin and instead need to focus on Gaza, and Gaza alone. However to support Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem or OpT, there are a number of active charities with an established presence. For details, please click here.
18. MORE PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN YEMEN, SYRIA AND IRAQ. WHY GAZA?
The occupying power and its supporters would love for us to take the spotlight off Gaza and focus on other hard-hit disaster zones. Fortunately, there are already a number of charities active in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan, Somalia, etc., Is it enough? Absolutely not but if everyone gravitated towards other severely hard-hit disaster zones, who will highlight the hardships in Gaza?
19. WHAT IS THE GAZA FUND’S PROPOSED SOLUTION TO THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE ISSUE?
The key to achieving peace is to listen to the people who are most affected by the situation, rather than imposing our own views from afar. For The Gaza Fund Peace Plan, please click here.
20.IS THE GAZA FUND OPTIMISTIC PALESTINE WILL BE FREE?
Indonesia was colonised by Holland for 350 years. Bangladesh was under British control for 247 years. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan were all collectively controlled by Russia for 170+ years. Algeria was colonised by the French for 132 years. Malaysia was colonised by Britain for 131 years. India was under British colonial control for 89+ years. Egypt too, was colonised by England for 74 years. Morocco meanwhile was colonised by the French for 44 years while Libya was colonised by the Italians for 32 years. There are many such examples across Africa, Asia and Latin America of colonial powers leaving or were eventually expelled.
While it has been almost 75 years since Zionist Europeans invaded Palestine and became an illegal occupying force, history is replete with countless examples how Israel will iA, meet the same fate.