How to Tell If a Gaza Fundraiser Is Real — A Practical Checklist

Every time there is major news about Gaza, two things happen. Genuine families in desperate situations launch campaigns asking for help. And fraudulent accounts launch campaigns to steal from people who want to help.

I am in the first category. I am Mohammed Z. Al-Shanti, an agricultural engineer in Northern Gaza. My campaign has been running since 2023. I have provided my Palestinian government ID, hundreds of dated receipts, and dozens of geo-tagged video updates. But I am also realistic: you should not take my word for that. You should check.

So here is the exact process I would use if I were a donor trying to decide whether a Gaza family campaign is legitimate. Apply it to mine. Apply it to any campaign you are considering.

The 5-Minute Verification Process

Step 1: Check for Government-Issued Photo ID

Any legitimate Palestinian running a personal campaign should be able to show a Palestinian Authority ID card. It does not need to show sensitive numbers or be fully unredacted — redacting partial details for personal security in a conflict zone is reasonable. But the name, face, and location should be visible and consistent with what the campaign claims.

If a campaign has been running for more than a few weeks and has never shown any form of identification, treat that as a significant red flag. There is no legitimate reason for a real person in a documented crisis to refuse to show any ID at all.

Step 2: Run a Reverse Image Search on the Photos

This is the single fastest way to catch a fake campaign. Fraudulent campaigns almost always use stolen photos because they are not actually in Gaza and cannot generate their own authentic images.

On desktop: right-click any main photo and select "Search image with Google." On mobile: hold down on the image and tap "Search image," or use Google Lens. If the photo shows up on another website predating the campaign, or appears in a completely different context, do not donate.

A real family's photos will not appear elsewhere. They are personal. The person in the photo is actually the person running the campaign.

Step 3: Read the Update History From Oldest to Newest

Go to the oldest update first and read forward. Ask yourself: does this feel like a real person's life unfolding over time? Does the story stay consistent? Do the prices and circumstances mentioned match what is actually known about conditions in Gaza?

Real updates are specific. They mention exact prices ($60 for a water truck, $38 for a bag of flour), specific dates, specific events. Fabricated updates tend to be generic and emotionally vague because the person writing them does not have real details to draw on.

Also look at the posting frequency. A real family in a crisis keeps having things happen to them. Fake campaigns often go silent after the initial fundraising burst because there is no real story to continue telling.

Step 4: Look for Expense Receipts

This is the gold standard. A real family spends donated money on real things, and those purchases generate receipts. Photographs of actual receipts — handwritten or printed, in Arabic or English, it does not matter — are a strong legitimacy signal.

They do not need to be professional. A photo of a handwritten receipt from a water truck vendor, dated, with an amount, is exactly what real aid looks like in Gaza right now. If a campaign has raised significant money but has never posted a single receipt for anything, ask yourself why.

Step 5: Check Whether the Campaign Has Third-Party Platform History

Campaigns on platforms like GoGetFunding, LaunchGood, or Chuffed benefit from that platform's own verification and terms of service. A campaign that has been running on one of these platforms for a year or more, without being taken down, has passed a basic legitimacy check. The platforms are not perfect, but they do review campaigns and remove fraudulent ones.

A campaign that only exists as a direct PayPal link shared on social media, with no platform history whatsoever, requires more scrutiny — though it can still be legitimate if all the other verification elements are present.

What to Do When You Are Not Sure

Sometimes a campaign passes most checks but not all. Maybe they have ID but no receipts. Maybe the updates are sporadic. Here is how to think about the grey area.

Search Reddit. The subreddits r/gofundme, r/Palestine, and r/worldnews frequently have community discussions about specific campaigns. Real donors leave comments about their experience. Fraud reports surface there faster than on the platforms themselves. A quick search of the campaign name on Reddit can give you significant additional context.

Ask a direct question. Message the campaign organizer directly and ask a specific, verifiable question. "Can you tell me the current price of flour in your area?" or "What neighbourhood are you in?" A real person in Gaza can answer these immediately and specifically. Someone fabricating a campaign from elsewhere cannot answer with confident accuracy.

Give a small amount first. If you are uncertain but inclined to give, start with a small amount, watch the updates for a few weeks, and then decide whether to increase your support. You lose little if the campaign turns out to be illegitimate, and you start a relationship with a real family if it is not.

Applying This Checklist to My Own Campaign

I built the verification page on this website specifically so that anyone who finds this campaign can apply exactly this checklist to me.

• Government ID: My Palestinian Authority ID card is viewable on GoGetFunding, name visible, partially redacted for privacy
• Photo verification: Every photo on this site is original and personal. None of them will appear elsewhere in a reverse search
• Update history: 45+ updates on GoGetFunding since 2023, with specific dates, prices, and events
• Receipts: Rent receipts, water purchase receipts, food receipts, all photographed and posted
• Platform: Active GoGetFunding campaign in good standing since 2023

Go check. donatetogaza.org/verification has everything. Read it critically. Apply the same skepticism you would apply to any campaign. And if it satisfies you, then consider helping my family.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is donatetogaza.org a real campaign?

Yes. Mohammed Z. Al-Shanti is a real person, an agricultural engineer, living in Northern Gaza with his wife, five-year-old son Ibrahim, and infant daughter. His Palestinian government ID is on file with GoGetFunding. His campaign has run since 2023 with 45+ updates including photographed receipts. Full verification is at donatetogaza.org/verification.

How do I reverse image search on my phone?

Open Chrome on Android or iOS, hold down on any image, and tap "Search image with Google" or "Search with Google Lens." This searches Google's database for the same image appearing elsewhere. On Safari for iOS, you can screenshot the image and upload it manually at images.google.com.

Are there community lists of verified Gaza campaigns?

Yes. Reddit communities and several Tumblr and Linktree pages maintained by Palestine solidarity groups curate verified campaigns. Searching "verified Gaza fundraisers" on Reddit's r/Palestine will surface current community-vetted lists. These are maintained by volunteers who have already done the verification work described in this article.

What if a campaign is on GoFundMe — does that mean it is real?

Not automatically. GoFundMe removes fraudulent campaigns but it cannot catch everything instantly. Being on GoFundMe is one positive signal, not a guarantee. Apply the full checklist regardless of which platform is used.