we’ve failed to serve those people who need bitcoin the most.
listen to how people in gaza struggle with using their own money and turning it into cash to buy food and basic supplies under israeli occupation.
bitcoin should’ve fixed this. we need to work harder.
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/20/nx-s1-5547307/gaza-palestine-israel-shekel-cash-shortage
They're on the wrong network for sure! 
How will Bitcoin work when you're in half bombed area without electricity and signal?
internet on a phone is often more reliable than having to deal with physical cash. listen to the episode.
I can't, my friend. I'm getting panic attacks when people suffer, I must avoid such topics. I don't deny Bitcoin would cover a lot of loss, outer help included, but the major weakness is still on my mind.
And when there are no cellular networks available or are taken down by governments/bombs?
I feel like these cases are a bit unexplored, but yeah mesh networks would be helpful to connect offline areas to other online areas. Really hope things like meshtastic, reticulum and lora can become more mainstream and be used in these scenarios. At least simple messages and transactions/tokens can be transmitted.
You don't even need the internet anymore.
Exactly, and I am not even sure cashu can really help here, you still need connection to the mints once in a while right? Yeah offlin exchange is possible, but let's be honest, can you really go for months without internet? I am not sure.
Would be interesting to see development targeting exactly these scenarios, but I don't think this can ever be solve, first you need to better decentralize network infrastructure.
You can generate power even with a bicycle dynamo and send / receive via radio waves. Of course these folks need to be aware of this and cash is much simpler.
Fun fact: it won't.
Hi guys please check out my Geyser 🙏🏻 it’s for my son 🙏🏻
Khm khm. I would say something but I may get crucified as jesus christ. 🤣✨️
From my non-expert understanding, I’d say the issue is not a technical one (Bitcoin, Lightning, Cashu etc work as intended), but rather an awareness one.
We’re so early that even the “then they fight you” phase has not even really started.
No wonder, that the 90+% of the global population who either follow legacy media or don’t follow media at all don’t know about bitcoin / thinks is some kind of scam.
Having said that, it must be horrible to live in a place with a dying or dysfunctional currency. It must be hell if that is paired with war
Do you think Bitcoin has already been reduced in its usefulness as a means of exchange, as digital cash?
Not at all. In fact, it’s only getting better, both from the technical side - e.g. Lightning- as well as from the UX side
The “problem” is that a rational economic operator will save in the harder money and spend in the weaker one, unless otherwise required (e.g. censorship)
My hypothesis is that we are still one or two generations early to see global bitcoin adoption as a means of exchange and unit of account
But what would I know. I’m just an npub
How do you propose fixing a distribution problem?
We didn't fail them. Even if the people had Bitcoin, all merchants, ATMs, POS are controlled by the colonist Israel. The plight of Gazans is much bigger than just being able to use money unfortunately.
Bitcoin is digital cash. It doesn’t *need* any of that.
In the complex and volatile environment of Gaza, where traditional financial systems are frequently disrupted by blockades, conflict, and political instability, Bitcoin presents a compelling, if not perfect, solution for transferring value.
The Problem with Traditional Finance
Traditional banking and remittance services in Gaza face significant barriers. Financial institutions are often shut down or have restricted access, and cross-border transactions are slow, expensive, and subject to third-party censorship. For a population heavily reliant on remittances from family abroad, this system is inefficient and unreliable. Furthermore, carrying physical cash is a security risk in a region with limited stability.
How Bitcoin Provides a Solution
Bitcoin’s decentralized nature addresses these core issues by offering a more resilient and inclusive financial infrastructure.
Bypassing Intermediaries: Bitcoin operates on a peer-to-peer network, meaning transactions are sent directly from one person to another without needing a bank, a government, or any other central authority. This censorship-resistant feature is crucial in a region where external parties can easily block or freeze funds.
Financial Inclusion: All that's required to use Bitcoin is a smartphone and an internet connection. This makes it accessible to the unbanked population—those without access to traditional financial services—empowering individuals to have full control over their own money.
Lower Fees and Faster Transfers: International wire transfers can be expensive and take days to settle. With Bitcoin, especially when using the Lightning Network, transactions can be completed in seconds with negligible fees, making it an ideal tool for small, frequent remittances that sustain families.
A Secure Store of Value: In a volatile economic climate, holding a local currency can be risky due to inflation. Bitcoin, with its fixed supply and global nature, can serve as a more stable store of value, helping families protect their savings from economic shocks.
Key Challenges to Consider
While Bitcoin offers significant advantages, its implementation in Gaza is not without obstacles. The most significant challenge is the need for consistent access to electricity and the internet, which are often unstable. Additionally, educating the population on how to use digital wallets and securely manage their private keys is a substantial undertaking. The price volatility of Bitcoin also presents a risk, as a person's savings could lose value in a short period.
In conclusion, despite these challenges, the fundamental properties of Bitcoin—decentralization, censorship resistance, and global accessibility—make it a powerful tool for overcoming the severe limitations of traditional financial systems in a complex environment like Gaza. It offers a lifeline for value transfer, empowering individuals and providing a path toward greater financial autonomy.
I was sending bitcoin to a guy there. He had to sell to USDT, who then had to convert to shekel, to exchange for goods.
The problem is beyond money. There are no goods to buy. No medicine, no baby formula, nothing.
Gaza is a graveyard. When the blockade and bombing subside. They will have killed all 2 million people there.
All live-streamed in 4K. And the world just goes on. Shit they’re bombing the flotilla heading over these now to deliver aid. 😔
I sent a guy in Gaza sats via lightning which he then used to buy supplies for several people.
He provided picture evidence of what he was able to buy with it, it was quite alot.
I was curious about how he managed to spend them.
He said there was an Israeli guy nearby that would convert lightning to Shekels, and then he used the Shekels to buy the supplies.
I would imagine that the facility to convert in that way is all but impossible in Gaza at this stage.
Good on ya for helping! Reminds me of a time something similar happened here, power of Bitcoin is massive.
This is beautiful 😍. Thanks for sharing.
Hamas funder
Lets assume I was funding Hamas, which I wasn't.
Our taxes are used to fund terrorist organisations and finance regime change operatives all around the world, but cut out the middle man (the State) and all of a sudden it's immoral?
What's immoral for an individual suddenly becomes morally justified when the State ( a particular grouping of individuals) does it?
The terrorist regime that concerns me is the State which forces it's citizens to contribute towards genocide in far flung corners of the world, or go to prison.
If you removed the threat of imprisonment dangling over the heads of western taxpayers, and allowed them to choose whether or not they want to fund Israel, nobody would give a dime.
Khamas supporter
true, but living under a genocidal death cult complicates everything
Yeah, living under zionism does complicate everything, no?
Interesting take
Does digital currencies work when they don't have access to electronic devices or devices being destroyed, sounds like only cash is feasible
Israel forced Binanace and others to not serve wallets in the location. They've successfully blocked cryptocurrencies except monero which is fine but when there's no electricity, internet connection and controlled wallet access, it makes digital currencies null.
This is what Bitcoiners still can't comprehend
100%.
Cashu and bitchat could fix this, but still too fragile and complex for the majority. Meshtastic, radio and satellite are additional options.
When bitcoiners give up, that's when it will really fail.
I have the same ideology for monero.
Resistance is what strengthens the muscles. As long as crypto anarchists continue to move, no obstacle will be too hard to overcome.
Just have to keep innovating and working towards a common good, but if...
I think internet connection must be hard to deliver in the area.
Naturally, you guys will need to do more than just trust me, but I'm allegedly their first Bitcoin donation.
Ive encouraged them to look into it further and suggested they reach out to HRF to see if they could help.
Maybe a few minutes of education could go a long way here. We should try. 
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