Ali had to pay $15,000, in what is referred to as a “travel coordination fee”, to a travel agency liaising with an Egyptian state-linked company to allow his family to leave Gaza via the Rafah border crossing in northeastern Egypt.

This is curently the only way for Palestinians who do not have another nationality to cross to Egypt.

The Gaza travel company acts as an intermediary between the Palestinians wishing to leave Gaza and an Egyptian company, Hala, which has a de facto monopoly over the exit of Palestinians via the Rafah crossing.