saw it on newsanon's thread
Egypt: Organi-linked armed groups looting, confiscating Gaza aid trucks in SinaiArmed groups affiliated with the Union of Sinai Tribes, based in the Egyptian peninsula, are reportedly inspecting and looting trucks carrying aid and goods headed towards the Gaza Strip, exclusive reports from The New Arab's sister site revealed on Sunday.
The armed groups are reportedly stationed at several points on the international highway linking the Egyptian city of Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah in the war-battered Gaza Strip. The individuals stop trucks headed towards Gaza, whether carrying humanitarian relief or goods intended for Palestinian traders, meticulously looking for allegedly banned goods.
Such items include cigarettes, mobile phones, certain types of medicines and medical supplies, among others.
One truck driver told Al-Araby that armed men routinely stop trucks, unload several boxes, and manually search them.
He added that all vehicles are inspected without exception. The driver also said such searches often result in the destruction of goods, with the armed individuals often tearing open bags of flour and other foodstuffs, rendering them unfit for consumption.
In the event that a "prohibited" item is found, the armed groups will photograph it, confiscate it entirely – including the truck – before transferring it to warehouses belonging to Sons of Sinai, owned by the controversial businessman Ibrahim Al-Organi (also spelt Al-Arjani).
Organi, a native of Sheikh Zuweid and a member of the Tarabin Bedouin tribe, is the head of the Union of Sinai Tribes, a pro-government coalition that works closely with Cairo to combat insurgency in the peninsula.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that it obtained footage showing a number of members of the group searching trucks and emptying cargo boxes of their contents, as part of the ongoing policy of tightening restrictions on Palestinians in Gaza.
Organi, a wealthy businessman and a close ally of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has been embroiled in a series of controversies over the past couple of years.
He was accused of profiteering from the crisis in Gaza, when Palestinians sought to evacuate to neighbouring Egypt with the help of smugglers, who demanded bribes up to $10,000 to help them exit the war-torn enclave.
He has also been accused of engaging in smuggling activities to Gaza and Israel, and of using his ties to Egyptian leadership to expand his business and influence in the volatile peninsula.
A Palestinian trader living in Cairo told Al-Araby that Palestinian traders are forced to pay exorbitant sums to the Sons of Sinai company as guarantees. He said that the company requires a security deposit of up to one million USD to ensure that traders do not import any materials "banned" by Israel.
The merchant added that coordinating the entry of each truck into the Gaza Strip costs approximately $100,000, paid to the Al-Organi’s group to facilitate the passage of goods through Egypt to the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, and from there into the Gaza Strip.
He pointed out that if any prohibited materials are found in the shipment, the company imposes a fine of $70,000 per truck, which is deducted directly from the deposited security amount, in addition to confiscating the entire shipment without returning it to its owner.
These incidents come amid Al-Organi’s wider moves to monopolise and control the movement of commercial and humanitarian trucks to the Gaza Strip, notably Rafah.
During the war on Gaza, the businessman was found to have demanded fees up to $20,000 for the entry of trucks into the battered enclave.
Other companies of his, such as the Golden Eagle, have also been in charge of the entry of trucks into Gaza, leaving the Egyptian Red Crescent unable to challenge Al-Organi's mammoth influence.
https://www.newarab.com/news/egypt-organi-linked-groups-looting-gaza-aid-trucks-sinai