The Egyptian government is eager to avoid a large-scale influx of Gazans onto its soil, concerned that it could lead to a lasting situation. Meanwhile, according to The Sunday Times, a privately owned Egyptian company, reportedly with historical ties to the state, has capitalized on the situation by facilitating the daily passage of several hundred Gazans across the border (The company taking refugees out of Gaza — and ‘making millions’).
Hala Consulting and Tourism, holding a dominant position in commercial transit through the Rafah crossing, is known to charge adults over $5,000 per escape, and $2,500 for individuals under 16.
Hala is part of the business empire of Ibrahim Jumaa Al-Arjani, 53, a member of the large Tarabin Bedouin tribe of smugglers who live in the Egyptian Sinai and the Israeli Negev.
According to MEMRI (The Military Merchant Who May Hold One Key To Post-Hamas Gaza), Al-Arjani’s transformation from a mere smuggler to a prominent figure in the Egyptian oligarchy began in 2008, when he was apprehended and tortured by the Egyptian authorities following his tribe’s abduction of Egyptian soldiers during a clash between the Bedouin smugglers and law enforcement. Al-Arjani’s brother Ahmed died at the hands of Egyptian police. But Al-Arjani and some 60 other Sinai tribesmen were granted amnesty in July 2010. Following the coup that ushered President Al-Sisi into power in 2013, Al-Arjani transitioned to a more overt role as an ally of the regime, forging ties with Mahmoud Al-Sisi, the eldest son of the Egyptian president, who is a high-ranking intelligence official.
The Sunday Times’ examination of the daily rosters, which catalog the names and ages of Gazans recorded by Hala for entry into Egypt, indicates that the company might have generated a minimum of $88 million since early March by facilitating the evacuation of more than 20,000 individuals.
Egyptian journalist Osama Gawish who is affiliated with the opposition in his country, reported on the controversial Al-Arjani, who is now exploiting the plight of Gazans, positioning himself as a middleman, facilitating their access to Egypt, including Egyptian hospitals in exchange for hefty payments. According to Gawish, Ibrahim Al-Arjani’s influence extends beyond mere involvement in warfare or smuggling narcotics; he is deemed far more dangerous having founded an armed militia.
حكاية إبراهيم العرجاني ، سمسار المعبر وصديق ابن السيسي
هناك تجار للدم وهناك تجار للحرب وهناك تجار للمخدرات وهناك إبراهيم العرجاني.
الحاج إبراهيم كما يحلو لأنصاره واتباعه أن يلقبوه ، رجل سيناوي من قبيلة الترابين واحدة من أكبر وأقوى قبائل شمال سيناء ، حاول التدخل عام 2008… pic.twitter.com/cWuHN3Qgqk
— Osama Gaweesh (@osgaweesh) February 4, 2024
Established in 2019, Hala was created to provide an exclusive transport solution dubbed “VIP” from Gaza to Egypt, originally priced between $350 and $1,200, fluctuating with the seasons. This service allowed customers to bypass the lengthy approval process and endure the arduous three-day journey with multiple stops across the Sinai Peninsula to reach Cairo.
Hala is just one entity among several companies under the umbrella of the Organi Group, overseen by Ibrahim al-Arjani. Al-Arjani has transitioned into the “King of the Crossing” owing to his significant sway over the peninsula and Gaza’s sole entry and exit point not under complete Israeli control.
The affluent residents of Gaza found this service particularly appealing, utilizing it to streamline their travel arrangements. Moreover, individuals who required punctual arrival, such as students commencing university courses overseas, relied heavily on this service to ensure they reached their destination on time.
According to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (‘Only Those With Money Can Leave’: Gazans Pay Thousands to Escape Through Egypt), Hala’s operations were suspended on October 7, 2023, but were resumed in January 2024. On January 25, OCCRP reported that “The deeper the desperation to leave, the better the business. More than 100 days into the conflict, during which Gaza’s other Israeli-controlled exit has been shut, rates are soaring. While the prices fluctuate wildly, some brokers are now charging Palestinians between $4,500 and $10,000 to secure a crossing permit, according to more than a dozen interviews conducted by OCCRP and the Cairo-based SaheehMasr media platform. The rate for those with Egyptian nationality is lower, at around $650 to $1,200 per person.”
Certain offers are publicly promoted by travel agencies through online platforms or disseminated within social media communities. Upon reaching out to the provided contact information, OCCRP journalists received immediate quotations. For instance, an Egyptian agency disclosed rates over the phone, stating a fee of $7,000 for Gaza Arabs, $1,200 for Egyptians, and $3,000 for holders of other foreign passports seeking to depart.
MEMRI suggested that “Those that see him as an Egyptian version of Sudan’s Hemedti or Russia’s Prigozhin seem to be exaggerating a bit. Rather than a warlord who went into business like those two figures, he is a smuggler turned business tycoon with a sideline in warlordism.
“Whether or not he is a drug dealer or a gold smuggler is less important than whether he can actually help the deeply flawed Egyptian state to bring order – even a tenuous one – to a Sinai beset by a wide range of daunting challenges. Those challenges include managing what or who goes across that Gaza border and, of course, the monumental tasks of security and development inside Sinai itself.
“That he is corrupt is completely beside the point. Every Arab state bordering Israel is deeply, incorrigibly corrupt and all have their own multiple, private or official, versions of Al-Arjani. In the region, there are those who pay and those who get paid.
“Al-Arjani’s indirect role in the future of Gaza’s reconstruction and governance is significant but it is intimately tied to the vision of the Egyptian national security state, his partners, for Gaza, a vision which will involve complex questions of security, stability, and, certainly, a steady cash flow.”
