Since Israel's war on Gaza began last October, necessities have been withheld from the over two million civilians trapped. For the past year, evidence signifies that the international community has failed to allow sufficient quantities of vital provisions to reach civilians.
Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, speaking at the ICJ earlier this year, as a legal advisor to South Africa’s case against Israel, described the conflict as “the first genocide in history where its victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real time in the desperate, so far vain, hope that the world might do something.”
Israel’s blockade of resources this month saw the levels of aid reaching the strip at lowest on record. NGOs in Gaza have faced relentless obstacles: cuts to UNRWA funding, targeting of aid workers by Israeli forces, the seizure of border crossings, and an obstinate Netanyahu all of which have rendered aid work in Gaza near impossible. Questions have arisen regarding what becomes of citizen donations from the West if the trucks carrying these provisions are denied access to Gaza, and how can western civilians help Gazans facing famine if conventional streams of charity have been effectively cut off.
Activists in the west have resorted to alternative channels of aid, harnessing the power of social media. If you are among the over 1 billion monthly TikTok users, you may have seen it firsthand – if so, the name Operation Olive Branch (OOB) will be familiar. According to their official TikTok account biography, OOB describes itself as a “Grassroots movement to organise & promote collective liberation for ALL peoples.” Operating also on X and Instagram, the initiative takes advantage of the vast audience outreach facilitated by the internet, sharing Palestinian stories and links for donation campaigns with thousands.
OOB operates two main modes of praxis; the first collates pre-existing campaigns in an extensive spreadsheet, which is currently at its capacity of 800. Families seeking to be included complete an application form where they can appeal to be added to the spreadsheet. Once accepted, links for their personal GoFundMe’s and donations are uploaded onto the master list. From here, aid can be directly funnelled to Palestinians in dire need of urgent evacuation, healthcare, and food.
Its second mode of action operates like a buddy system, where families are paired with creators on TikTok who grant their platform to Palestinian stories and donation links. In doing so, Western audiences are exposed to the horrors faced by Palestinians in Gaza from first-hand accounts often neglected by mainstream media outlets.
Social media users are forced to pause their scrolling and lend their ears to those in need. The conflict in Gaza may seem distant, but the globalising force of the internet grants individuals the power to break through distances and language barriers, channelling resources where they are needed. The online attention just one of these videos draws (reaching hundreds or thousands of potential donors) can raise thousands of dollars in funds across a short time frame..
While Operation Olive Branch is not exclusively tasked with helping those in Gaza, the aid it helps generate for those stuck there is uniquely insightful into a future of globalised mutual aid. The breakdown of NGO activity, destruction of agricultural infrastructure, and the impossibly high cost of evacuation have all culminated in online fundraising becoming the only source of hope for displaced families. The organisation has engendered a somewhat symbiotic relationship between those in Gaza and those in the west: the former providing the latter with a depth of awareness not accessible in mainstream media; the latter donating vital funds that keep the reciprocates alive.
In sum, OOB fills in the gaps where western institutions fail. Where mainstream media stays silent, the personal experiences of families facing genocide and famine can reach western audiences, proliferating much needed awareness. And where politics fails, Operation Olive Branch restores faith in the overwhelming generosity of ordinary people, and the radical potential of the role social media platforms can play in the globalised future of mutual aid projects.
Find the Operation Olive Branch spreadsheet here
