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Starvation is their weapon, silence is their shield. Gaza is being crushed under hunger and darkness.
We’re still human. We still deserve life. Your click now could be the light that saves my family 🙏🏻💔

gofund.me/334c7485

in reply to Help Mahmoud Family 🙌🍉🍉

hi! Could you contact @aral ? He has a way to verify you and put something on your profile to confirm this :) Thank you, and welcome to the Fediverse!
in reply to Rififi

I tried to contact him but no response.
Does he have a WhatsApp number or any easy-to-contact account?
in reply to Help Mahmoud Family 🙌🍉🍉

Ten wpis został zedytowany (1 tydzień temu)

Aral Balkan reshared this.

in reply to Aral Balkan

You need to understand me.
I am a computer engineer from Gaza.
I created an automated posting program, and Mastodon allows these permissions; it is not a bot in terms of posting rules.
This was the only method that worked for me to raise donations.

Secondly, I tried to create an official account on the main server, but it is still suspended.
I also created an account on mas.to, but unfortunately, it was blocked in less than an hour.

Aral Balkan reshared this.

in reply to Aral Balkan

@aral @rififi54
Lastly, I am ready to comply with your rules and give up the automated posting program,
but I need to get in touch with one of you.
This is my WhatsApp number: +972599339297
in reply to Help Mahmoud Family 🙌🍉🍉

@rififi54 OK, I understand and I am, of course, willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.

The problem is that the behaviour of creating multiple accounts and sending automated messages is *exactly* the behaviour that scammers have been using in the past here. And a lot of trust has been lost because of it and it impacts every person from Gaza who has a Mastodon account and is trying to survive by using it. Including my friends on gaza-verified.org who I will do anything to protect.

Please get a Signal account and add me using my handle: aral.42

We can set up a time next week there when Joy and I can talk to you.

But, as I said, a lot of reputational damage has already happened so we will have to work hard to fix that as I do not want it negatively impacting Joy or the others.

I hope we can fix this and I hope that you and your family are safe.

reshared this

in reply to Aral Balkan

@rififi54 PS. I’m boosting our conversation from my account so others can transparently see our process as, hopefully, a first step toward the eventual rebuilding of trust.
in reply to Aral Balkan

@aral I’m not saying you’re wrong in these specific instances, but please consider the stress and terror and despair these people have been experiencing for almost 2 years. It can lead to frantic, spammy, disruptive and angry and impatient behaviour.

I know for example that @mohshbair’s account was repeatedly suspended from Bluesky because of that. He’s learned how to behave the hard way.

in reply to thom

Of course.

The goal is to ensure that we protect everyone from Gaza who needs Mastodon and the fediverse as a lifeline. That means maintaining trust.

There are people out there (clearly devoid of all humanity) who are – as we speak – trying (with malicious intent) to perpetuate the lie that all accounts from Gaza are scams and that they should all be shut down. This ties into Israel’s lies that there is no famine or genocide in Gaza. (Hasbara, if you will.)

Ten wpis został zedytowany (1 tydzień temu)
in reply to Aral Balkan

@aral all right, glad that you agree. Please be mindful and very gentle when expressing doubts about a Gazan’s account legitimacy.
in reply to thom

@thoboumon Thom, I believe we have been and we are trying to help. I don’t need a lecture from you.
@thom