In February, when Dr Ghayyda traveled to the Egyptian capital to register his parents, sister and nephew, he took his 23-year-old son with him to avoid carrying more than $10,000. By then he had raised about $25,000.
“The whole process was quite long, complex and uncertain,” he said.
In an interview in his office in Cairo, Mr. Organi spoke at length and in detail about Hala’s activities, although he said his role in the company was limited and that he was just one of many shareholders. Hala has long been listed on Organi Group’s website as one of the conglomerate’s companies, but the reference appears to have been removed recently. Organi Group did not respond to a request for comment when asked why they removed Hala from their website.
Mr. Organi described Hala as a tour company, “just like any company that exists at an airport,” and said it was founded in 2017 to provide VIP services to Palestinian travelers who wanted a better experience crossing into Rafah.
“I only help them when they want to go into the VIP lounge, have breakfast, be driven to Cairo in a nice BMW, have a stop and then continue to their destination,” he said. “Our role is to provide the best service possible, that’s all.”