Egyptian tribal leader Ibrahim al-Organi has continued to exercise de facto control over the entry of commercial and aid trucks into Gaza after the ceasefire that came into effect on 19 January, Middle East Eye can reveal.

Efforts to bring goods and aid into Gaza after the ceasefire are complicated by the exorbitant fees imposed on the entry of commercial trucks, and the power granted to Organi’s firms to determine which trucks enter the strip, according to Egyptian and Palestinian sources who briefed MEE.

Trucks carrying commercial goods, which are later sold in Gaza, are charged at least $20,000, the sources said, while aid trucks are also subject to extortion before crossing to the enclave.

Organi is a Sinai businessman, politician and tribal leader allied with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Organi’s name has become synonymous with unofficial profits made out of the suffocating Gaza blockade, particularly from desperate Palestinians attempting to flee the fighting.