Crowdfunding and suitcases full of cash: How Gazans seeking to escape war are paying to flee to Egypt
Anas Al Borno was lying on a flimsy mattress with his wife and children in a Rafah refugee camp in January when a relative texted with a rare piece of good news. For the first time since Oct. 7, Al Borno and his family were eligible to cross into Egypt.
The main travel agency that arranges such crossings had changed its rules, allowing Palestinians without foreign passports through the land border. But there was a catch — the price to get out for Al Borno and his family was at least $18,000, far more than he could afford.
“I didn’t have any money,” said Al Borno, 36, whose livelihood had been shattered after his small manufacturing business was bombed early in the war. “I had no options; how could I live? How could I eat? How could I travel, me and my family?”
His lifeline came in the form of a stranger 8,000 miles away — a Jewish graphic designer from California who launched a crowdfunding campaign that ultimately raised most of the money needed for Al Borno’s wife and children to cross the border a month later.
by Taboola
Sponsored Stories
BUZZDAILY WINNERSEen RPG-spel waar alles mogelijk is
EXPERT MARKETDe kosten van thuisbeveiliging in Noord-holland zullen u misschien verrassen
Abdullah Alqatrawi’s Instagram page features videos he has shot around Gaza in the last few months, including his living conditions, left, the ruins of his neighborhood, center, and his family crossing the border.@aqatrawii via Instagram
As the number of online fundraisers climbed, several international groups sprang up to collect and amplify the campaigns. Operation Olive Branch began as an idea in the comments section of a TikTok in early February, a spokesperson from the organization told NBC News, quickly amassing nearly 100,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram. Run by volunteers, it takes submissions for fundraisers to feature, vetting the campaigns by directly asking families verifying questions and examining their social media to confirm they are still in Gaza, and tracking suspected fraudulent fundraisers.
The volunteers received so many submissions that they became overwhelmed and stopped featuring new campaigns for several weeks in March. Operation Olive Branch had 820 fundraisers listed as of late April.
The group began boosting Al Borno’s campaign in February. Soon after, he had enough money for his wife and children to leave. Then came the challenge of getting the money into Egypt.