Yousef Okail

Data journalist, passionate about social and political stories.

Latest stories

From Egyptian small farms to Israeli tables

Politics_

Behind frozen greens in Israeli markets lies a 650% surge in Egyptian exporters: a vast network stretching from hidden Delta hamlets to active shipping lanes.

Yousef Okail_

From Egyptian small farms to Israeli tables

If El-Sisi read it, why can’t we find it?

Politics_

The president cited an article accusing the government of hiding the truth—yet finding it reveals more about Egypt’s tightly controlled media landscape.

Yousef Okail_

If El-Sisi read it, why can’t we find it?

The Gulf war in incognito mode

Politics_

As war spreads across the region, migrant workers in the Gulf face arrests, deportation threats and strict warnings: don’t film, don’t post and don’t question the official line.

Yousef Okail_

The Gulf war in incognito mode

Ghassan Al-Dahini and the recycling of chaos in Gaza

Politics_

From jihadist to Israeli-backed militia leader, Al-Dahini’s rise exposes a risky “day after” gamble—recycling extremism into local proxies that could drag Gaza into civil war.

Yousef Okail_

Ghassan Al-Dahini and the recycling of chaos in Gaza

The legal loophole making a million Egyptian child brides

Society_

Over 900,000 Egyptian girls were married as children in just 11 years. Legal loopholes, ‘ratification contracts’ and custom keep turning childhood into wedlock.

Yousef Okail_

The legal loophole making a million Egyptian child brides

A Year Without Assad| A new Middle East begins in Damascus

Politics_

One year on from Assad’s fall, Syria’s upheaval is reshaping the region. From Ankara to Tel Aviv and Washington to Tehran, Damascus has become the hinge of a new political order.

Mohamed El Kholy_

A Year Without Assad| A new Middle East begins in Damascus

El-Sisi's last parliament?

Politics_

Analysts see Egypt’s new parliament—elected without real competition—as a potential step toward scrapping presidential term limits and extending El-Sisi’s rule.

Mohamed El Kholy_

El-Sisi's last parliament?

Senate election results, a right-loyal stitch up

Politics_

With opposition wiped out and turnout low, Egypt’s Senate elections tighten the grip of government-aligned parties through coordination, cash, and closed lists.

Safaa Essam Eddin_

Senate election results, a right-loyal stitch up

Which Civil Society monitors elections in Egypt

Politics_

An investigation into 2025 Senate vote reveals a roster of “watchdogs” with fake titles, phantom organizations, and no record of monitoring, yet all were approved by the state.

Yousef Okail_

Which Civil Society monitors elections in Egypt

When the president decides to speak

Politics_

El-Sisi spoke less but said more in 2024—defending his record, warning of collapse, and insisting that the people's patience and massive investment was Egypt’s only path forward.

Yousef Okail_

When the president decides to speak

Nasser after the Naksa: ‘It was the system’s fault’

Politics_

After the 1967 defeat, Nasser condemned his own regime as rotten and called for an open system—but his bold vision gave way to retreat, not reform.

Yousef Okail_

Nasser after the Naksa: ‘It was the system’s fault’

Freelance journalists: professionals or impostors?

Society_

Young freelancers speak out about working as journalists in Egypt under legal threat, weak protections, and shrinking pay

Yousef Okail_

Freelance journalists: professionals or impostors?