Fraudsters may be targeting donations aimed at helping Palestinians to rebuild their lives following days of bombardment.
This is according to Palestinian authorities who on Tuesday warned would-be donors to confirm that the targeted recipients are the actual people in need before remitting any money or sending any supplies.
In a statement to the newsrooms, the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Nairobi said donors from Kenya were welcome to help Palestinians, but should be careful where to send the donations.
“The Embassy calls for caution when engaging in any act of support and aid intended for the Palestinian people, and not to fall victim to any fraudulent or untransparent activities related to in-kind or financial donations, presumably announced for Palestine.”
The Embassy did not give details on how many people had filed reports of fraud or how much had been diverted.
But it suggested there had been fraudulent channels created to con donors, indicating there is a “specific bank account for this purpose and which will be monitored to adhere to global financial regulations".
A number of countries and entities across the world have rallied to raise funds for Palestinians who lost shelter or livelihood in the wake of the latest war with Israel.
Some 242 people were killed and thousands of others injured in the two-week long conflict that saw skyscrapers bombarded in Gaza, in what Israel claimed were efforts against terror targets, according to figures released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
They included 43 boys, 38 women and 23 girls, with the rest being men. OCHA said 230 of them were killed by Israeli bombs although the UN agency also admitted others were killed by faulty rockets fired by Palestinian authorities.
Twelve Israelis were killed and 730 others injured in counter rockets fired at Israel. Officials in Gaza said some 1,948 Palestinians had been injured, including 610 children, and nearly 400 women.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the UN Security Council (UNSC) rallied the world to help develop “an integrated, robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery".
“The members of the security council stressed the urgency of the restoration of calm in full, and reiterated the importance of achieving a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognised borders,” they said.
Mark Lowcock, the head of OCHA, said some $22.5 million had been allocated to fund an emergency response in Gaza, including helping the more than 77,000 displaced people, and rebuilding 53 schools, six hospitals shelled and a testing lab for Covid-19.
A spokesman at the embassy in Kenya said donors in the country may verify recipients by calling its daytime phone numbers 020 5207242 or 066 2323733.
“The embassy requests all activists and institutions in Kenya who wish to make financial donations to provide information regarding entities or individuals and amounts, in order to facilitate carrying out the needed procedures in a manner that ensures transparency and conformity with local and international regulations.”
