Ibrahim al-Organi, the Bedouin who enriched himself at the expense of the Gazans

He is a key man in the war between Hamas and Israel. He is Egyptian, a Bedouin, and he is the one who has the upper hand on the border crossings between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai.

It is an immoral and very lucrative business: $5,000 for an adult, $2,500 for a child under sixteen, prices multiplied by seven since the Israeli offensive in Gaza. And since families rarely consist of less than ten people, the bill is steep to leave the enclave. Ibrahim al-Organi has a monopoly on this lucrative exile market. And he is clearly taking advantage of the crisis to enrich himself on the backs of a population ready to do anything to escape death.

The invoice is sent in the name of the Hala tourism company. It is one of the many branches of the al-Organi group. There is little information about the holding company, but in an advertisement available on YouTube, the company presents itself as the largest company in Egypt, with 17 hospitals, 25,000 employees and activities in particular in construction and the automobile industry. All this with, of course, the approval of the Egyptian presidency. Because nothing in this region can be done without the agreement of Marshal al-Sissi.

Fourteen years ago, Ibrahim al-Organi was in prison after being arrested during demonstrations organized by Bedouins. Because he is originally from Sinai. He is Tarabin, the largest Bedouin tribe in this vast desert to the east of Egypt, which shares a large border with Israel and the Gaza Strip. It is an area of ​​trafficking and tourism that the central government has always had difficulty controlling. When he arrived at the head of state, a little over ten years ago, Marshal al-Sisi decided to take back control of the territory by eliminating the groups linked to the Islamic State, which was at the time in full expansion. He therefore relied on local tribes and on Ibrahim al-Organi.

The latter is now the president’s trusted man in the region and his role is all the more important because Egypt has a fear: that a flood of Palestinian refugees will come, under pressure from the Israelis, to settle in the Sinai. Cairo is therefore strengthening its surveillance of the borders and seems to have made a tacit agreement with Al-Organi. The businessman promises the Bedouins help to prevent a possible migration crisis, and in exchange al-Sissi lets him prosper in his business.