(JNS) Scores of Palestinians are leaving the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip through its southern border by paying up to $10,000 (£7,800) to "brokers" with alleged links to Egyptian intelligence, The Guardian reported this week.
The network of smugglers that operate around the Rafah border crossing has existed for years, but "coordination fees" have surged from hundreds to thousands of dollars per person, the British newspaper said on Monday.
One Palestinian-American claimed he paid $9,000 (£7,000) to get his wife and children out of Gaza. On the day of travel, he was told his children's names were not listed and he would have to pay an additional $3,000 (£2,200).
Those interviewed said they had been put in touch with Cairo-based brokers through contacts in Gaza. They said the fees are paid in cash, sometimes through middlemen based in Europe and the United States.
