{"id":26206,"date":"2024-06-26T17:02:36","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T17:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/2024\/06\/26\/palestinian-taxi-driver-uses-bitcoin-to-save-civilians-in-gaza\/"},"modified":"2024-06-26T17:02:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T17:02:36","slug":"palestinian-taxi-driver-uses-bitcoin-to-save-civilians-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/2024\/06\/26\/palestinian-taxi-driver-uses-bitcoin-to-save-civilians-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"Palestinian Taxi Driver Uses Bitcoin To Save Civilians In Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"

Countless lives were changed on October 7th, 2023, and Yusef Mahmoud\u2019s was no different. Even before the war, the Palestinian taxi driver couldn\u2019t stand being a passive observer of unemployment and hunger, both prevalent in Gaza\u2019s everyday life. In 2022 and early 2023, more than two million<\/a> Gazans lacked access to clean water and an appropriate sewage system, while two-thirds of the population lived in poverty.<\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, Yusef turned online for help. It was Ramadan of 2023 and he wondered if other Muslims across the globe would contribute with bitcoin, the first decentralized cryptocurrency, that he could use to buy and distribute food for those in need and toys for children in Gaza. UK-based Bitcoiner Fumble was amongst those who answered his call.<\/p>\n

\u201cI quickly saw that Yusef was genuinely transferring over the support he received to people on the ground,\u201d Fumble recalls. \u201cAs Bitcoiners sent satoshis (bitcoin\u2019s smaller monetary units) to Yusef, he returned pictures of the donations\u2019 impact on elderly people and orphans around him. The more proof I saw of his work, the more I wanted to help, and that\u2019s when I suggested Geyser<\/a> as a means for Yusef to organize his initiative and scale up the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

In April 2023, Yusef launched a project on Geyser<\/a>, a global Bitcoin crowdfunding platform, to raise more funds and provide food and potable water to Palestinian civilians in need.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/x.com\/Yusef_Mahmoud1\/status\/1794636953704698295<\/p>\n

When the going got tougher, support followed<\/h2>\n

Within the following months, Yusef\u2019s project took on new dimensions. The situation in Gaza was aggravated due to the military occupation, which displaced 85%<\/a> of Gaza\u2019s population and halted economic activities, further worsening poverty and unemployment. Demand for food and water escalated and Yusef switched focus from supporting families during Ramadan to providing everyday essentials for civilians in need. <\/p>\n

Between April 2023 and May 2024, more than 1,500 people had donated to the cause. This has enabled Yusef to repeatedly buy food and potable water for 20,000 families in Gaza, each with an average of five to seven members. About 500 of the people he helps are orphans. <\/p>\n

Fumble explains that having a Geyser project made it easier for people to support Yusef\u2019s efforts. Today, Yusef relies on these donations to continually source tinned food, baby supplies, potable water, bags of flour, clothing, and access to medication for civilians. Donations have also been ensuring that Yusef has enough credit on his e-SIM card to stay connected and up-to-date on what the community needs, and so he can access the donations received through the project. <\/p>\n

\u201cMore people over here are now using Bitcoin, there\u2019s no other way.\u201d<\/h2>\n

Within two months of the start of the war, unemployment in Gaza had surged to 79.3%<\/a>. Locals lack sources of income and access to water, sanitation, healthcare, and education. Half of the local population are children. Meanwhile, even those who had savings in the bank found themselves unable to make transactions. <\/p>\n

\u201cDuring wars, you\u2019re left with only the change you had in your wallet,\u201d Yusef explains over a glitchy call, where Fumble is also present to help bridge our language gap. \u201cBank apps in our phones are down and banks are freezing accounts in Gaza. We only have cash or Bitcoin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fumble explains that the Palestinian economy runs on the Israeli shekel and that Gaza\u2019s financial system is almost completely dependent on Israel, which must approve the movement of cash into the area.”The occupation is why payment processors don’t facilitate it, and it is the reason why Israel has control over transactions that come to their banks,” says Fumble.<\/p>\n

Because of this, many Palestinians relied on contacts from abroad to manage or access their funds, but tales abound of people who trusted someone to receive their money only to find that the person wouldn\u2019t pass it over to its rightful owner. Those who do pass on the money often charge a steep fee upwards of 30%. <\/p>\n

For people like Yusef, Bitcoin emerged stronger than ever as an alternative. Its peer-to-peer, permissionless nature enables him to bypass financial and platform barriers to get aid from abroad and help people on the ground. Additionally, fees to exchange bitcoin into fiat money are around 5%, making it cheaper and faster than the alternative. \u201cYou can see why more people over here are now using Bitcoin; there\u2019s no other way,\u201d Yusef shares.<\/p>\n

Additionally, other crowdfunding platforms either don\u2019t operate in Gaza or have blacklisted it, so you can\u2019t use them to send or receive funds if you\u2019re registered in Palestine. Geyser continues to enable people in this location to raise funds using bitcoin, with added precautions such as requiring users to ID themselves to ensure funds are not being used to support sanctioned individuals.<\/p>\n

\u201cCitizens have no fault in this war, that\u2019s why I help them.\u201d<\/h2>\n

To further complicate the economic situation in Gaza, many families are separated by enforced displacement as Palestinian men are detained<\/a> at scale while their families are told to flee. \u201cFathers were the key breadwinners in Gaza, and many families are now left to fend for themselves. These are the people most often coming to my door asking for help,\u201d says Yusef.<\/p>\n

To help them, Yusef regularly drives to Rafah in search of supplies. The commute isn\u2019t easy. Dislocation across Gaza makes Yusef more vulnerable to being targeted while thorough inspections by military forces restrict the goods coming into Rafah from Egypt. \u201cSupplies are being deliberately restricted,\u201d explains Fumble. \u201cThere\u2019s no anesthetic, no insulin, medical respirators are punctured\u2026 Even a pair of medical scissors may be considered a weapon and used as an excuse to reject a batch of supplies. Not to mention trucks are deliberately being delayed so the food goes bad.\u201d When asked about what motivates him to carry on, Yusef replies simply: \u201cCitizens have no fault in this war, that\u2019s why I help them.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there are also good days. In March 2024, Yusef managed to buy 2,700 chickens<\/a> from Egypt to feed his community. The order qualified as \u2018commercial capacity\u2019, which simplified the bureaucracy across borders. These large-scale transactions are a source of hope for Yusef, but they\u2019re only possible when substantial donations come in. <\/p>\n

In April 2024, Yusef\u2019s project received $48k worth of bitcoin. I ask Yusef whether he is proud or surprised by this achievement, to which he says: \u201cMy greatest achievement has been getting people, especially children, the help they need.\u201d More recently, he built almost 100 tents to shelter displaced families. <\/p>\n

Although his project consistently ranks amongst the most funded on Geyser, it sometimes struggles to keep up with the relentless needs and expenses Yusef has been trying to meet. For example, not only is food hard to come by but it also comes at a huge price inflation<\/a> when available. On the week of our call, soon after Yusef raised $48k on Geyser, donations became scarce and he came close to selling his car so he\u2019d have money to help people in desperate need of medical aid. \u201cTo help more people, we need the money to access large-scale supplies and rent cars or trucks to transport those goods to displaced communities,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n

Using bitcoin to meet people\u2019s immediate needs, one day at a time<\/h2>\n

Online, the work is carried out on X<\/a>, where Fumble helps Yusef spread the word about the project so the trickle of donations doesn\u2019t dry out. \u201cYusef sends me videos of the work being carried out on the ground, which helps to prove that the project is credible and genuine. The consistency with which he shares those videos helps to demonstrate transparency about his intentions. The challenge is sharing as much information as possible without compromising people\u2019s safety,\u201d Fumble explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be very mindful,\u201d says Fumble. \u201cWe want to show as much as possible what\u2019s happening and Yusef\u2019s first-hand content is precious in that regard. The more transparency, the more likely people are to donate. But at the same time, we need to protect innocent civilians in Gaza, many of whom feel quite abandoned by the world.\u201d <\/p>\n

Alongside that sentiment, Palestinians stick to the long held mantra \u201csteadfast.\u201d When asked whether he has hopes that life will return to normal, Yusef doesn\u2019t hesitate: \u201cYes, of course.\u201d <\/p>\n

Until then, Fumble thinks about how else he can help civilians in Gaza. On the cards is the possibility of manufacturing and supplying 3D-printed prosthetics for children who\u2019ve lost limbs during this conflict. \u201cWhen I share these ideas with Yusef, he just says \u2018God willing\u2019,\u201d says Fumble, \u201cbecause he doesn\u2019t take anything for granted; he\u2019s working hard to meet people\u2019s immediate needs. The bitcoin donations have become that lifeline he\u2019s holding on to get people through just one more day.\u201d <\/p>\n

Donate to Yusef\u2019s Save Gaza project here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a guest post by Michele Morucci. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Countless lives were changed on October 7th, 2023, and Yusef Mahmoud\u2019s was no different. Even before the war, the Palestinian taxi driver couldn\u2019t stand being a passive observer of unemployment and hunger, both prevalent in Gaza\u2019s everyday life. In 2022 and early 2023, more than two million Gazans lacked access to clean water and an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crypto-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26206"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26206\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoins-101.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}