Post AydnCeZ1PxICCiloMS by tahine21@mas.to
(DIR) More posts by tahine21@mas.to
(DIR) Post #AydctJJXCV6VFtfERs by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2025-09-27T17:17:41Z
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Hello all,Well, this is an announcement I never wanted to make.We discovered today that one of members, who, although he is from Gaza and a victim of genocide, has nevertheless not represented his current situation honestly. And I have had the terrible task of removing them and one of our new members, a friend of his, from Gaza Verified.Now, before I tell you what happened, I want to stress this:I am not saying they are not from Gaza or have not suffered from this genocide. What I am saying is that they have not been honest with us and thereby are no longer a part of the Gaza Verified group. If anyone needs verification that they are from Gaza, you can link to this post that states that we believe that they are.The accounts are:• @ahmedosama • @ayaa7 And here’s what happened:While trying to understand why Ahmed couldn’t connect to group video chats in Signal, I ended up looking up his IP address to check if he was using a VPN and saw that he was in Egypt. When I asked if he was using a VPN, he told me no. When I confronted him and asked if he was in Egypt instead of Gaza, he confessed. He stressed, however, that he did send the $1,200 we raised for him for a tent and land back to his family in Gaza. But it was not, as he had stated, because he and his son had evacuated from North Gaza to the South and needed shelter. He had been in Egypt this whole time.And that is unacceptable.(We do have members from Gaza who are in Egypt and have family in Gaza but they have told us this openly and it is not a problem as we want to help support the evacuations of their families.)His friend Aya, who is in Egypt and has family in Gaza, had just joined the group and knew of this deception. They are friends and both in Egypt.In any case, a chain of distrust works the same way as a chain of trust, only in reverse.I am taking great pains to do everything as openly and transparently as I possibly can. And that includes things like this.Going forward, we are also implementing additional protocols for our verification process.I have told Ahmed that I will take no further action against his Mastodon account or fundraiser if he updates his profile and his fundraiser to accurately present his current situation and he has agreed to this.I have removed Ahmed and Aya from the Gaza Verified web site and they are no longer allowed to display the link. Should the links remain up, their verified status should expire when the Mastodon server/app caches for their profiles expire.I am quite hurt by this personally but also angry as it means that I have lost today to dealing with this instead of preparing the campaign for next week and the last thing I want is families hurt because of it. Time is of the essence as families are being bombed by Israel nightly.I will draw a line under this now and start afresh with preparing for next week’s campaign tomorrow.Please, if you can, keep supporting us and our effort to save the families in the danger zone in the North and get them to relative safety in the South.https://gaza-verified.org/emergency/I will update you on my progress again tomorrow.
(DIR) Post #Ayddmf3E5JIEbAQfVg by Professor_Stevens@mastodon.gamedev.place
2025-09-27T17:27:43Z
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@aral @ahmedosama @ayaa7 That is the kind of crystal clear transparency that lets real integrity show through. Money's a bit tight for me these days, but I sent a few dollars in response to this display of sincerity and honesty. The world needs more of it.
(DIR) Post #AydfRCmOCbdak7Rzyi by martijn@ieji.de
2025-09-27T17:46:03Z
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@aral thanks for being honest, sadly there will always be someone who either does not understand 'the game' or plays it. I wish them the best, and while you've lost a day dealing with it, you could've decided to not do it, or give up. You did neither, so it's not lost time. You're doing the best you can to your ability, and that makes you human, great, and we appreciate that.@ahmedosama @ayaa7
(DIR) Post #AydfqMVfA9BO9zcfUO by ahmedosama@mastodon.social
2025-09-27T17:50:40Z
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@aral @ayaa7I sincerely apologize for my mistake. When asked if I was in North Gaza, I panicked and said yes, that was wrong. All donations I received were sent to my family in Gaza for displacement, a tent, and safety. I can provide proof and will return any amount if required. I am in Egypt with no income after losing my wife, three children, home, and work. Please don’t change your view of me or of Gaza. Thank you for your understanding.
(DIR) Post #AydgM1SKyVu288AEL2 by ludd@mastodon.gamedev.place
2025-09-27T17:56:19Z
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@aral @ahmedosama @ayaa7 Thank you for being transparent. Personally I feel it is worth donating to people even with this risk.
(DIR) Post #Aydh2begmGQOYwFN7A by afewbugs@social.coop
2025-09-27T18:04:04Z
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@aral I'm sorry you had to deal with this, but to me and I hope many other people the fact you did enhances the credibility of Gaza Verified
(DIR) Post #AydhaonCRKUf9XXcLg by oaj@mastodon.com.pl
2025-09-27T18:10:15Z
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@aral: Thank you for your transparency. It's important especially in these hard times.
(DIR) Post #AydjjaK5o2WMn7Ebrs by nizarus@mastodon.tn
2025-09-27T18:34:14Z
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Thank you @aral for what you are doing and the transparency.I'm sure that @ahmedosama and @ayaa7 need help and deserve to be helped, but there was no need to lie like that...
(DIR) Post #AydkVyI209Q51TLK9w by mrkaiser@mastodon.social
2025-09-27T18:43:01Z
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@aral @ahmedosama @ayaa7 thank you Aral, well handled and explained, keep up the good work!
(DIR) Post #AydkeImLhwGksvUp3Q by ahmedosama@mastodon.social
2025-09-27T18:37:57Z
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@nizarus @aral @ayaa7 Thank you. I admit my mistake, and admitting a mistake is not a shame. I am fully prepared to return any donation I have received, just give me some time. Please note that I transferred all the money to my family in Gaza for displacement. My dignity is above everything.No amount of money can compensate me for the loss of my wife and my three children.
(DIR) Post #AydkeJc6bVfZTRi9j6 by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2025-09-27T18:44:32Z
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@ahmedosama @nizarus @ayaa7 Ahmed, there is no need to return the donations. I do believe you. And I had personally donated $1,000 so let’s say that’s what you received and you and your family have it with my blessing. Please give my love to Mohammed and your family and I wish only the best for you all.
(DIR) Post #AydnCeZ1PxICCiloMS by tahine21@mas.to
2025-09-27T19:13:15Z
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@aral @ahmedosama @nizarus @ayaa7 Hello my friend Aral I need your help please don't ignore me I want you to check on me and contact me 🙏
(DIR) Post #AydphbqvkOvegI2GYq by ayaa7@mastodon.social
2025-09-27T19:41:12Z
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@aral @ahmedosama I reject the false claims made against me. From the start, I told Aral clearly that I am in Egypt while my family remains in Gaza under bombardment and danger. I never lied, never took donations via Mastodon, and I have no connection to Ahmed Osama. Dragging my name and my family publicly is unjust. I demand a correction and apology
(DIR) Post #AyduX9ZiWmJjr2olAe by ayaa7@mastodon.social
2025-09-27T19:57:49Z
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@tahine21 @aral @ahmedosama From the start, I told Aral clearly that I am in Egypt while my family remains in Gaza under bombardment and danger. I never lied, never took donations via Mastodon, and I have no connection to Ahmed Osama. Dragging my name and my family publicly is unjust. I demand a correction and apology. This is also the abuse I received from Joy against me and my family, and my clarification to Aral from the beginning.
(DIR) Post #AyduXB7mlbAAezlTua by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2025-09-27T20:35:10Z
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@ayaa7 @tahine21 @ahmedosama Aya, we never said you didn’t tell us you were from Egypt. However, you told me yourself on video chat that Ahmed Osama is your friend and you asked him to help you set up your verified link. You are both in Egypt and, by your own words to me, you are friends. Now you say you don’t have any connection to him. I wish you the best in the future.