Stranded at Rafah: Tales of Desperation and Injustice
Watan-A stranded Egyptian citizen at the Rafah border crossing reveals the extent of the suffering he and others, both Egyptians and Palestinians, face at the border separating his country from the Gaza Strip. He criticizes what he describes as the ‘pay to enter’ policy implemented by Egyptian officers and border personnel.
Hundreds of stranded Egyptians in Gaza have been facing difficulties returning to their homeland since October 7th. They hope to cross the Rafah border crossing without any promising signs of that happening anytime soon.
The young man, in a video posted by the ‘Rasd’ platform, stated that he is not a national of another country but of pure Egyptian origin, with no relatives in Gaza, as he claimed.
And he added, ‘I have nothing but my Palestinian wife, and we came together to attend her brother’s wedding, but the war broke out. Since then,’ as he mentioned, ‘he doesn’t know how to leave and return to his country, and no one has cared about his situation.
مواطن مصري عالق في معبر رفح يكشف المعاناة التي يتعرض لها pic.twitter.com/mvICp7ZJXL
— شبكة رصد (@RassdNewsN) December 25, 2023
Sleeping at the Crossing: A Stranded Egyptian’s Plight at Rafah Border
The young man appealed to the Egyptian authorities to take care of his situation and the others who are stranded, as he, according to his words, is tired, and so are his children, given the challenging circumstances they are facing.
He disclosed that he has been unemployed for the past 90 days, questioning, ‘What more can I lose?’ One of his children standing beside him mentioned that he spent all the money he had, and now he has only a small amount left that can barely get him back home.
The stranded young man added that he registered at all the locations he was instructed to, but his name has not been announced yet. With no options left and no home or relatives in the area, he continued, ‘All I have is sleeping at the gate of the crossing.
Bribes for Passage Through Rafah Crossing
The complaining young man pointed out that since last Friday, no Egyptian lists with the names of those approved for entry have been issued, and he is unaware of the reasons behind this.
He recounted that when he asked an official at the Palestinian crossing, he was told, “Your embassy is not interested in you and doesn’t inquire about you.” The official suggested that he arrange his affairs by paying bribes to facilitate his exit. To this, he responded, as he claimed, “Should one have to pay money to return to his country?”
According to the young man and citing the mentioned official, there are disagreements on coordination matters, and the amounts they collect are exorbitant. The coordination fee has reached a large sum, exceeding a thousand or two thousand dollars.
He concluded by questioning the response of the Egyptian authorities to such matters if they are indeed true.
