The only way for almost all Gazans to escape the war between Israel and Hamas is through neighboring Egypt. And that is often a complicated and expensive test, involving the payment of thousands of dollars to an Egyptian company that can place Palestinians on an approved travel list to cross the border. Faced with the prices, many Palestinians have resorted to trying to raise money with petitions on platforms such as GoFundMe.
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Salim Ghayyda, a pediatrician from Scotland, posted a petition in January after his sister sent him a text message from Gaza telling him that their father had suffered seizures. His father made it to the hospital and survived, but Ghayyda, 52, who left Gaza in 2003, said the episode convinced him that he had to evacuate his family at any cost. “I thought I would go to bed one night and wake up to the news that my family was missing,” he said.
In the past eight months, some 100,000 people have left Gaza, said Diab al-Louh, the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt. While some left through links with foreign groups or governments, for many Gazans, exit is only possible through Hala, a company that appears closely connected to the Egyptian government.
Now the future of that avenue is uncertain, particularly after the Israeli Army took control of the Rafah crossing, leading to its closure in May.
The New York Times spoke to a dozen people inside and outside Gaza who were trying to leave the territory or help family or friends do so. All but one spoke anonymously for fear of reprisals from Egyptian authorities.
Palestinians connected to international organizations and governments, holders of foreign passports or visas, the injured and some students enrolled in universities outside Gaza have been able to leave, but most of the more than 2 million people there do not fall into those categories.
Hala charges $5,000 to arrange departures for most people 16 or older, and $2,500 for most minors, according to seven people familiar with the process.
Ibrahim al-Organi, whose company, Organi Group, lists Hala as one of its businesses and who describes himself as a shareholder, disputed that Hala charged such amounts, insisting that children were free and adults paid $2,500. He argued that operating costs had skyrocketed during the war.
Organi, a tycoon with a history of helping the Egyptian government fight extremists, maintains ties to senior Egyptian officials, according to three people who have followed the relationship and spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their work in the region.
Hala requires a family member to visit its Cairo offices and pay in $100 bills, Ghayyda and others reported. “The whole process was quite time-consuming, complex and uncertain,” he said.
Organi said those who paid in $100 bills had been scammed. She said Hala was created in 2017 to provide “VIP” services to Palestinians traveling through Rafah. The Egyptian government did not respond to a request for comment on his relationship with Hala.
In May, GoFundMe said more than $150 million had been raised in Gaza-related fundraisers and about 19,000 campaigns had been created, including for health care and food.
In April, Ghayyda traveled to Egypt for the second time, this time to meet with her parents, sister and nephew.
He was overcome with joy, but still felt an enormous burden: 28 close relatives remained in Rafah and Gaza City. (In May he achieved the release of four more members).
“I won’t be able to feel like I can breathe normally until I know they’re safe,” she said.
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