Egypt has been rocked by a blackmail video posted by an anonymous account under the name “El Malak,” just days after Cairo signed a historic gas deal with Israel. The eight-minute video purports to show Deputy Interior Minister Major General Khaled Arafa on an intimate video call as a masked figure accuses President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government of “betrayal” of Palestine.
The anonymous author called for the cancellation of the $35 billion gas contract with Israeli companies, the opening of the Rafah crossing for aid, and the easing of internal repression, warning that it could uncover other scandals.
The scandal erupted shortly after the signing of the largest energy deal in Egypt's modern history, which envisages the import of 130 billion cubic meters of gas from Israel by 2040. The government calls it a vital step to address the energy crisis, but critics see it as a dangerous dependence on an "enemy state" and a betrayal of besieged Gaza.
