US firm that secured aid sites talking with administration about new role in Gaza

A US security firm that deployed armed veterans to guard Gaza aid sites is in talks with the Trump administration’s Board of Peace about its next role in the enclave, the company said on Wednesday, after previously facing UN criticism over deadly scenes at its distribution points.

UG Solutions made the disclosure, which has not been previously reported, after Reuters reported it was recruiting Arabic-speaking contractors with combat experience for work in undisclosed locations. A source with direct knowledge of the board’s planning confirmed talks were under way with the firm.

The North Carolina-based firm, which provided security for the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation last year, was shut down following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October.

It had faced criticism from the United Nations over the deaths of Palestinians trying to reach the firm’s aid sites in areas where Israeli troops were deployed and would open fire, with the UN saying that over 1,000 people were killed in those incidents. The Israel Defense Forces has stated that the death tolls have been inflated, that its troops only fired warning shots at those who posed a threat to troops, and that Hamas operatives and other gunmen were also opening fire at crowds of aid seekers.

A UG Solutions spokesperson said on Wednesday that it had “provided information and proposals to the US-led Board of Peace,” a body set up by President Donald Trump to help advance his plan to end the Gaza war, which was sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel.

“Our proposal was received positively, but until the Board of Peace clarifies what its priorities are for security, UG Solutions is planning internally for a range of possible ways to support efforts in Gaza,” the spokesperson said.

The source with direct knowledge of the board’s planning said that talks with UG Solutions and several other groups have been under way for weeks but that nothing had been finalized.

Representatives for the board did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘Not welcome,’ Palestinian aid coordinator says

Palestinians could regard any return of UG Solutions to the enclave as troubling because of the violence that took place during GHF distributions last year.

“The GHF and those who stand behind it have Palestinian blood on their hands; they are not welcome to return to Gaza,” said Amjad al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network, which liaises with UN and international humanitarian agencies.

The GHF did not respond to a request for comment sent to its press email. It consistently defended its approach to security during the months it operated in Gaza.

The UG Solutions spokesperson said its armed contractors only secured the aid sites and their immediate perimeter and had no control over actions by the Israeli military or Palestinian terrorist groups.

Humanitarian organizations and commercial entities “are seeking out UG solutions to assist in their operations” as they struggle with shipments being looted or otherwise diverted, the spokesperson said, suggesting a potential role for the group beyond work with the Board of Peace.

Trump plan for Gaza would increase aid

Trump’s plan for Gaza calls for a surge in humanitarian aid, for Israel to withdraw after Hamas lays down its arms, and for the territory to be rebuilt under the supervision of a Board of Peace led by the US president. Hamas, however, has not committed to give up its weapons, with a senior member again saying Wednesday that the Palestinian terror group has not received a disarmament proposal from mediators.

Palestinians’ armed struggle “is a right as long as the occupation remains,” Osama Hamdan said. The word “occupation” is typically used by Hamas to denote Israel in its entirety.

Hamdan also repeated Hamas’s position that the International Stabilization Force, which is supposed to maintain security in Gaza under Trump’s Gaza peace plan, should deploy only on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, to “prevent hostilities against our people, in accordance with Trump’s plan.”

(That is not what the plan states. The ISF is meant to “train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza,” provide a “long-term internal security solution,” and “help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces.”)

Hamdan said Hamas has conveyed that position to the government of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, which on Monday announced it would contribute thousands of troops to the ISF, and whose troops are expected to be the first ISF personnel to deploy in Gaza.

Hamdan accused Israel of preventing the entry into Gaza of the 12-member technocratic committee that is supposed to administer the Strip under the ceasefire plan. An Arab diplomat has told The Times of Israel that the Palestinian committee will not enter Gaza until it is equipped to govern.

He also accused Israel of obstructing operations at the Rafah Border Crossing and of letting only very few people through since it reopened earlier this month, as part of the Gaza ceasefire.

Hamdan’s comments come after a New York Times report on Tuesday said officials in the Board of Peace planned to let Hamas keep some small arms while requiring it to surrender most of its long-range weapons. The report said mediators planned on sharing the document with Hamas in the coming weeks. Israel has said Gaza can be rebuilt only once Hamas disarms.

The Board of Peace is holding a meeting in Washington next week, that is expected to serve in part as a fundraiser. Those funds would help pay for a plan envisaged by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to rebuild Gaza in stages, beginning in Rafah in a southern area under Israeli military control. Rafah is where the GHF stood up three of its four aid locations, the routes to which drew Palestinians desperate for food.

The United Nations called the operations inherently dangerous and a violation of humanitarian principles that require aid distribution to be conducted safely.

The IDF has acknowledged that some Palestinians were hurt without saying how many. It says its soldiers changed procedures following the incidents.

”Go-to security firm’

When the GHF shut down, UG Solutions said it remained “the go-to security firm to help those focused on rebuilding and delivering aid” as envisaged in Trump’s plan.

The firm listed several jobs on its website, which Reuters reported on earlier on Wednesday. It disclosed its talks over Gaza in response to Reuters questions about the listings.

One of the jobs on the firm’s website, an International Humanitarian Security Officer, would involve “securing key infrastructure, facilitating humanitarian efforts, and ensuring stability in a dynamic environment”. Preferred credentials include proficiency with “small arms weapons.”

Another, targeting only female candidates, is for a Cultural Support Officer who would ensure “safe, effective, and culturally appropriate aid distribution.”

The spokesperson said those jobs were to prepare a team for potential contracts in Gaza and an expansion into Syria, where they are looking to provide services in the oil and gas sector.