As a humanitarian disaster unfolds in Gaza, a lucrative war business grows stronger. The path to salvation for Palestinians is through the Rafah crossing, and it costs thousands of dollars: a network of Egyptian brokers and travel agencies can sell transit permits for amounts ranging from $4,500 to $10,000 per person. For foreign citizens or Egyptian citizens, the price is cheaper, between $650 and $1,200.
This is what emerged from an investigation conducted by the non-profit journalism organization “Organized crime and corruption reporting project” (Occrp) and Cairo-based independent media platform Saheeh Masr.
In addition to interviewing dozens of Palestinians and Egyptians who rely on these intermediaries to cross the Egyptian border, journalists, posing as potential clients, managed to directly contact agencies dedicated to the new agreement, whose offers were in some cases openly advertised on the Internet. or shared in social groups. An Egyptian agency told undercover journalists that the cost was $7,000 for Palestinians, $1,200 for Egyptians and $3,000 for foreign passport holders, OCCPR reported.
In the statements collected, two Palestinians said that they crossed Rafah by paying $4,500, while three people said that they were defrauded and lost their money.
A Palestinian woman said an agency asked her for $40,000 to get her husband and three children out of Rafah: “But we can’t afford it,” she told reporters. “Others – we read in the investigation – are desperately trying to raise money by selling gold and other personal items, asking for loans from friends and relatives, or starting online fundraisers.”
According to OCCPR, journalists were unable to determine exactly how these agents organized and completed the crossings. However, “their ability to quickly obtain permission from the Egyptian security services controlling the border supports the hypothesis that bribery greases the wheels of such a system”.
Already a known business
The business is not new, but it has become much more profitable thanks to conflict. The war increased speculation and caused prices to rise rapidly. “We had collected statements in 2022 that Egyptian authorities were extorting money from Palestinians to allow them to leave Rafah,” said Ahmed Benchemsi, regional communications director for Human Rights Watch, who spoke of “rapacious control of the border by some Egyptian officers.”
Egypt has denied that similar corruption and extortion took place. Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Information Service, called the allegations “completely unfounded” in a statement on January 10.
As quoted by OCCRP journalists, University of Strasbourg sociology professor Lorenzo Navone explains that the payment of money for passage through Rafah is about the management of a border that is “perceived as random and unpredictable.”
Since 2007, the gate has been manned by three organizations: the Hamas Ministry of Internal Affairs, Egyptian security forces, and Israel, which always monitors passage from a nearby military base.
For Palestinians, it took several months for transit requests to be approved, with possible accelerations in the case of travel for medical reasons. But in any case, obtaining permission was never a guarantee for Gaza residents, who were rejected by Egyptian authorities at the border for various unforeseen reasons.
“This is where – according to the investigation – companies such as Hala Consulting and Tourism come into play”, one of the most important companies in the panorama of Egyptian travel agencies and intermediaries. “In 2019, the agency began offering a ‘VIP service’ to cross the Rafah border quickly and conveniently. For $1,200, the company would provide clearance within 48 hours and a hassle-free trip from Gaza to Cairo.” A system was made possible “by the use of a separate passenger list approved by Egyptian authorities, distinct from the Hamas-regulated registration process.”
Hala Consulting has important connections with the Egyptian business and political circles. From what we understand, the place is actually owned by Ibrahim El-Organi, an important businessman who has some direct commercial partnerships with the Egyptian state.
“It is still one of eight companies operating under the – explain OCCRP – Organi Group, which also includes the Misr Sinai joint venture with the National Service Projects Organization (NSPO), the industrial conglomerate of the Ministry of Defence”. The Organi group and the Hala Danışmanlık agency, contacted by the journalists who wrote the investigation, did not want to comment.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
