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A death trap under the guise of aid in Gaza: Mercenaries and CIA-linked shell companies

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The genocide in Gaza, ongoing for 20 months and constituting the bloodiest chapter of a 77-year occupation, has entered a new phase with one of the 21st century’s most insidious methods of warfare: a mass slaughter driven by profit and ideology, concealed under the mask of humanitarian aid. At the center of this bloody mechanism are US-based private security companies, shell companies managed by former intelligence officers, and a supposed aid foundation controlled by Evangelical Zionist leaders.

North Carolina-based UG Solutions, a Wyoming-based wealth management firm’s shell company Safe Reach Solutions, and their public face, the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), are systematically luring Palestinian civilians struggling with starvation into a “death trap” under the direct supervision and cooperation of the Israeli army. Aid distribution points are deliberately established in the middle of active war zones. Thousands of unarmed civilians who come to these locations hoping to find food are either killed by fire from Israeli soldiers and American contractors or crushed to death in the ensuing chaos.

The inner workings of this bloody mechanism have been exposed through the confessions of conscientious witnesses like retired Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Aguilar, a decorated 25-year US Special Forces (Green Beret) veteran who personally served in the operation, and reports from international organizations. The picture that emerges reveals not just a series of war crimes, but also the entanglement of Evangelical Zionism, far-right ideologies, shell companies run by former CIA officials, and unchecked capital in the project to annihilate the Palestinian people.

The Evangelical-led front foundation, GHF

The Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), designed as the public face of this deadly operation in Gaza, emerged like a ghost, leaving almost no digital footprint. Despite the US State Department’s incomprehensible statements defending its existence, the organization’s website long consisted of an empty “under construction” page. Although GHF presents itself as an entity providing “critical aid and support” to the people of Gaza, this statement is the exact opposite of its practice.

After the foundation’s founder and initial director, Jake Wood, resigned on May 26, 2025, just before the official launch, the person appointed to replace him revealed the project’s true purpose: Johnnie Moore.

Moore was a public relations specialist and an Evangelical leader who began his career as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at the Evangelical Liberty University, founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. The public relations firm he later founded, Kairo Company, promoted itself with the slogan, “We get it done… Whatever it takes.” This “results-oriented” approach seemed to summarize the philosophy of the bloody operation conducted by GHF.

Moore’s appointment was not surprising, considering how closely GHF worked with the Israeli Coordination and Liaison Administration (COGAT) and the Israeli army. Moore had co-chaired the Evangelical advisory board for the 2016 Trump campaign, met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and established close ties with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. However, his most notable connection was his collaboration with the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.

Moore’s social media account is filled with Zionist propaganda from Israeli venture capitalists, media outlets like Fox News and Breitbart, and pro-war financiers. Following the massacres at GHF’s aid distributions, which cost hundreds of Palestinian lives, Moore used language that shifted the blame to Hamas. In a social media post, hiding behind rhetoric of Christianity and peace, he used the following words:

“The principle of impartiality does not mean neutrality. There is good and evil in this world. What we are doing is good, and what Hamas is doing to these Gazans is absolute evil… If you won’t join us, at least have the courage to boycott HAMAS, not us… I can’t get these words out of my head, written to Christians tortured by the Roman Empire: ‘The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.’ Romans 16:20.”

These words clearly reveal the mindset behind the operation. On June 10, 2025, the Center for Constitutional Rights sent a notice to Johnnie Moore, informing him that GHF was at “risk of legal liability for complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and violations of the Genocide Convention.”

GHF’s financial infrastructure also exposes the powers behind the project. An operations summary dated May 8, 2025, states that the foundation maintained banking relationships with Truist Bank and JP Morgan Chase and had received a verbal commitment from Goldman Sachs for its Swiss-based branch. This indicates that, under the shadow of genocide accusations, global financial giants are also part of this bloody mechanism.

The operation’s muscle: Mercenaries and shell companies

The entities conducting GHF’s field operations and holding the monopoly on violence are US-based private security contractors. These firms are notable not only for their military backgrounds but also for their dubious corporate structures and the extremist ideologies of their personnel.

One of the main contractors for the operation, UG Solutions, is managed by Jameson Govoni, a former US Special Forces soldier. Govoni describes himself as a “thug from Boston” and said, “I joined the army to inflict pain on those who inflicted pain on us.” This mentality forms the basis of the company’s brutal practices in Gaza. Govoni is also the creator of a product called Alcohol Armor, founded in 2022, which promises to reduce the effects of alcohol. His story that the idea for this product came during a covert mission in Nicaragua where alcohol consumption was mandatory points to the unprofessional and reckless attitude of Govoni and his circle. His partner, Glenn Devitt, is known to have said, “We are by far the worst drinkers in the military. My stomach was pumped.”

The ideological profile of UG Solutions becomes even clearer with the personnel it deploys in the field. It was discovered that one of the team leaders providing security services at GHF’s controversial food distribution points, Johnny “Taz” Mulford, was a member of a Crusader-themed motorcycle club that declared its opposition to the “radical jihadist movement.” Mulford, a member of the biker group called Infidels, displays numerous tattoos associated with the Crusades on his Facebook account. These include the cross of the Knights Templar, the Jerusalem cross, and the number 1095, the year Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade.

According to Professor Matthew Gabriele, an expert on Crusader iconography who spoke to The Intercept, these symbols are frequently adopted by racist and far-right groups and allude to a fantastical idea of an existential war between Islam and Christianity. Gabriele stated that the date 1095 has been used symbolically by far-right extremists, from the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik to the perpetrator of the New Zealand massacre, and represents a worldview in which Muslims are a “threat that must be killed.” This situation reveals the kind of mentality that is actually running an operation claiming to bring “aid” to a predominantly Muslim population.

Safe Reach Solutions: A CIA front

The other key contractor in the operation, Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), has a much darker structure. According to research by journalist Jack Poulson, SRS was actually a shell company for Two Ocean Trust LLC., a Wyoming-based “intergenerational wealth management” firm. Both companies were registered at the same address in Jackson, Wyoming.

More importantly, according to a Washington Post report, SRS was founded by Philip F. Reilly, the former chief of the CIA’s Special Activities Center. The company’s formation process was kept extremely secret despite promises of “transparency.” Its website was registered just one day before the company’s official establishment, and the site contained no information about the company’s legal name or any of its executives. The company’s incorporation documents were linked to shady intermediaries who had previously been subjects of the Panama Papers investigations. This indicates that the operation in Gaza was not only run by mercenaries but also by entities from the depths of the US intelligence world specializing in financial secrecy. A wealth management firm, led by a former CIA chief, conducting a deadly security operation in Gaza is the most blatant evidence that the project has covert and possibly illegal objectives far beyond humanitarian aid.

“A dystopian and post-apocalyptic landscape”

The person who most clearly exposed the inner workings of this complex and bloody mechanism was retired Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Aguilar, a 25-year US Special Forces (Green Beret) veteran with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star, who served in the operation himself. In interviews with both Democracy Now! and Tucker Carlson, Aguilar described in stark detail the systematic war crimes and inhumane practices he witnessed in Gaza. Defining himself not as a “mercenary” or a “whistleblower” but as a “patriotic American,” Aguilar said he was speaking out because the American people needed to know they were on the wrong side of history.

Aguilar described the devastation he encountered upon first entering Gaza as a “dystopian and post-apocalyptic landscape.” Stating that he faced a scene far worse than any war zone he had previously served in, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria, Aguilar said, “What I witnessed in Gaza can only be described as a landscape of destruction. It was the collapse of human morality. We, as the US, have become complicit in this process. We are jointly participating in the ongoing atrocities and genocide in Gaza.” Describing those who deny the claims of hunger and famine as “dehumanized,” Aguilar emphasized that what he saw was not an exaggeration but a concrete reality.

“They were designed as death traps”

Aguilar’s most shocking revelations concerned the location and operation of the aid distribution centers. He said these points were designed as “death traps,” as Senator Chris Van Hollen had also noted. Aguilar stated that these centers were deliberately set up in the middle of conflict zones where the Israeli army was conducting active offensive operations. Emphasizing that this was a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions, Aguilar said, “These points were knowingly established in conflict zones. I thought this was either complete ignorance or intentional. They were deliberately placed here.”

He also said that these centers were surrounded not by barbed wire but by razor wire, which causes serious injuries to civilians, and that this wire was specifically requested by the US contractors. He stated that this practice alone constitutes a war crime.

Aguilar explained that the violence used against unarmed civilians at the distribution points was systematic. He said that despite no attacks occurring, indiscriminate force was used to control the crowds, and there were no rules of engagement or proper response protocols. Even more alarmingly, he stated that the ammunition used was M855 armor-piercing rounds. Aguilar asked, “This round is designed to pierce armor and kill. Why would such ammunition be used against unarmed people?”

Presenting a video he personally filmed on May 29 as evidence, Aguilar showed an armed American security guard affiliated with GHF opening fire on a crowd of civilians moving away from the aid recipients. In the video, another guard next to the shooter can be heard saying, “I think you hit him!” Aguilar stated, “Unarmed, hungry people were shot at just to make them move faster. This video was filmed by me. Not Hamas, not the Gaza Ministry of Health, but me; an American,” clearly identifying the perpetrators. Aguilar confirmed that he had personally witnessed, “beyond a shadow of a doubt,” both American contractors and Israeli soldiers firing on Palestinians struggling with hunger.

An operation of deception

Aguilar revealed that the legal basis of the operation was also entirely illegal. He stated that all UG Solutions employees, including himself—meaning armed Americans—were in Israel on “tourist visas.” He said this was contrary to international law and showed that the mission was rushed, with many irregularities being overlooked.

He also demonstrated with figures that GHF’s claims about the amount of aid were a deception. Criticizing the foundation’s announcement that it had distributed 96 million meals in 65 days, Aguilar explained what this meant with a simple calculation:

“When you divide 96 million by 2.21 million, then by three meals a day, and then by 65 days, it means we provided food for only 15 of the 65 days. What happened to the other 50 days? This is not aid; this is a systematic starvation operation.”

Aguilar argued that GHF lacked the capacity to carry out this operation and that its funding should be immediately cut, with the aid process being handed back to the United Nations.

Aguilar also responded to UG Solutions’ attempts to discredit him. He noted that the company claimed to have fired him for inappropriate conduct, whereas he had resigned on June 13. He said that even after his resignation, his salary was paid, his insurance was covered, and he was urged to withdraw his resignation. “I was not fired. On the contrary, I was promoted twice, and my salary was increased twice,” said Aguilar, adding that all the evidence he possesses is original, time-stamped, and verified, and that UG Solutions even used one of his videos in its own press release.

Dissenting voices in the US

This bloody operation has sparked reactions both within the US and internationally. Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a report published on August 1, 2025, stated that Israeli forces regularly firing on Palestinian civilians struggling with hunger at aid distribution points constitutes a “war crime.”

Some members of the US Congress have also begun to speak out. House members Joaquin Castro and Sara Jacobs, along with Senators Peter Welch and Chris Van Hollen, sent a letter to UG Solutions and Safe Reach Solutions demanding an explanation of their activities in Gaza. The letter warned that the companies and their personnel could face future criminal and civil liability under laws such as the US War Crimes Act. The legislators stated that there was information indicating “your personnel… were brought to Israel on tourist visas, sent into Gaza with war materiel, and ordered by Israeli officials to use lethal force against unarmed and starving Palestinian civilians.” At least 21 US senators also wrote a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, demanding that US funding for GHF be halted.

Middle East

Israeli envoy warns red line crossed over Turkish moves in Syria

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Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, stated that Tel Aviv received clear intelligence showing Türkiye planned to expand its military presence in Syria significantly, an action Israel deemed the crossing of a “red line.”

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Leiter said: “We are not looking for an escalation or a war with either Türkiye or Syria. But a red line was crossed.”

His remarks follow an Israeli air strike on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase in Idlib, Syria, which drew swift criticism from both the Syrian and Turkish governments.

Leiter continued:

“This was seen as a blatant Turkish violation of the understandings. Those who needed access to the intelligence received it. Those who needed to know what was going to happen knew. We made it clear that this was contrary to our understandings, and that is why Israel acted as it did.”

According to Leiter, the failure to heed these warnings led Israel on Tuesday to strike the Abu al-Duhur airbase, where Turkish forces were allegedly expected to arrive.

Syrian officials stated that the airbase was targeted by at least eight strikes, whilst subsequently released satellite imagery revealed damage to the runways.

Leiter stated that the Turkish move contradicted understandings reached during the Biden administration between Israel and the administration of Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, which “froze the existing situation” in the country.

According to Leiter, these understandings were reaffirmed during a meeting held in Paris in January 2026, attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, Leiter, then-National Security Council head Gil Reich, and Netanyahu’s military secretary Roman Gofman (now director of Mossad).

Leiter continued:

“This freeze means we do not act as long as the Turks do not act, and they do not force us to withdraw. It is also important to understand: whilst we maintain a security zone of only 78 square miles [approximately 202 square kilometres] in Syria, the Turks have, over the past few years, slowly annexed 3,500 square miles in northern Syria—roughly 5% of the country’s territory.”

According to The Jerusalem Post, with the exception of Tom Barrack, the US Special Envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Türkiye, senior US officials did not condemn the Israeli strike in Syria.

“The administration’s policy is that the previously agreed freeze should continue; that is why even Trump did not condemn the strike,” Leiter said.

Despite the tensions, Leiter emphasised Israel’s understanding that Syria is not seeking an escalation or war.

“It is clear to us that the Syrians do not want a confrontation with us. That is why we tell the Turks not to create conflict. There are multiple indications that the move planned by Türkiye was imposed on the Syrians,” the ambassador said.

Leiter argued that this apparent discord was also evident in the conflicting statements issued by Türkiye and Syria following the strike:

“Whilst Syrian Foreign Minister Shaibani acknowledged that a Turkish delegation was in Syria a few days before the strike, the Turks denied this. They need to resolve this matter between themselves.”

Leiter did not rule out a return to direct talks with Syria, as conducted in the past, but said conditions must be suitable.

“Negotiations can be resumed. We want to continue the face-to-face dialogue we previously conducted with the Syrians,” Leiter said.

Leiter added that Israel is not seeking a conflict with Türkiye and remains open to dialogue with Ankara.

“We are certainly open to dialogue with them, but judging by statements from senior officials in the country, they would prefer to wipe Israel off the map,” the Israeli diplomat said.

Alleging that Türkiye hosts Hamas leaders and “channels funds” to Hezbollah and Hamas, Leiter argued that it was inappropriate at this juncture for “Türkiye to begin expanding its influence in Lebanon and Syria.”

Leiter continued:

“Under current conditions, Türkiye cannot be a force that helps bring calm to the region. If only we could return to the state of relations between Jerusalem and Ankara from several decades ago. Back then, we would have been open to Türkiye’s influence in the region. But in an environment where Türkiye funds terrorist organisations, an increase in its regional influence makes no sense.”

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UAE halts trade with Iran after reported ballistic missile attack

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended commercial and economic relations with Iran after announcing that Tehran launched two ballistic missiles towards the Gulf state on Tuesday.

The UAE Ministry of Defence stated that air defence systems detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards its territory.

The incident is considered Tehran’s first direct attack targeting the Gulf country since May.

The event prompted emergency telephone alerts to be sent to residents across the UAE.

The Ministry of Defence stated that assessments indicated the missiles targeted maritime traffic, adding that one missile fell into the sea outside UAE territorial waters and the other landed within territorial waters.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs later announced that “in light of regional tensions that undermine regional and international peace and security, all trade, commercial relations, and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice.”

Iran denied any involvement in the missile attacks. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the claim “contradicts the principle of good neighbourliness and undermines ongoing efforts to strengthen trust among regional countries.”

The missile strikes occurred after a period in which the UAE and Tehran had sought to reduce tensions between the two countries.

The bulk of Tehran’s military retaliation targeted neighbouring Gulf states, which Iran accused of facilitating US-Israeli attacks.

The UAE bore the heaviest brunt of Iran’s attacks against US allies in the Gulf, sustaining nearly 3,000 missile and drone strikes.

Exhibiting the most hawkish stance against Tehran among its Gulf neighbours, the UAE responded with dozens of strikes against Iran.

However, tensions between the UAE and Iran eased following a memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran in June.

After the agreement began to unravel in early July, Iran largely redirected its attacks towards Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.

In recent months, the UAE reactivated diplomatic and economic channels with Iran while simultaneously strengthening its military ties with Israel and the US.

Tuesday’s missile strikes threaten to disrupt the atmosphere of normalisation that had returned to the UAE.

While Dubai’s financial district was once again filling with bankers, certain commercial activities between the emirate and Iranian ports had resumed.

Furthermore, several Iranian flights to the UAE had quietly resumed.

UAE authorities had also begun permitting the return of approximately 20,000 Iranians holding UAE residency permits who were outside the country when the war began.

UAE officials have repeatedly emphasised that the country seeks to avoid being drawn further into a broader regional war.

Nevertheless, efforts to de-escalate tensions between the UAE and Iran have come under increasing strain in recent weeks.

This month, the UAE accused Iran of attacking vessels belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the Strait of Hormuz.

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US considers land blockade on Iran involving Türkiye and neighbours

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To date, the US has imposed sanctions on thousands of Iranian individuals and legal entities; however, the Tehran administration continues to bypass these restrictions by rapidly establishing new structures to replace those that have been blocked.

In an assessment citing expert opinions published by the Reuters news agency, the current situation was likened to a game of whack-a-mole.

Whack-a-mole is known as a game of agility and reflexes based on the concept of hitting plastic figures with a mallet as they pop up unexpectedly from their holes.

Speaking to the agency, experts outlined other options that Washington could deploy to increase pressure on Tehran and raise the efficacy of sanctions.

Potential measures include restrictions targeting independent Chinese refineries, known as “teapots,” which account for a quarter of China’s oil refining capacity.

China purchases more than 80% of the oil exported by Iran, and these refineries process the vast majority of those shipments. Nevertheless, these facilities have limited ties to the US financial system, rendering them partially protected against secondary sanctions.

Another option on the table is increasing pressure on major Chinese banks. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has applied secondary sanctions to small firms based in China and Hong Kong accused of executing billions of dollars in transactions for Iranian oil.

The agency has also warned two large banks, though it has not yet included them on its sanctions list.

While taking steps against major banks could deter other financial institutions, such actions carry the risk of Beijing enacting retaliatory measures. Washington seeks to avoid such tension ahead of a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in September.

Experts are also evaluating the possibility of enforcing a land blockade with the participation of Iran’s neighbours: Iraq, Türkiye, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Armenia.

The Trump administration holds various leverage mechanisms against such nations, including Pakistan, which is requesting a $10 billion swap line, and Türkiye, which seeks to rejoin the F-35 program. Analysts express, however, that implementing such a blockade on the ground and generating the expected pressure inside Iran would be difficult.

Trump has repeatedly voiced threats to impose secondary tariffs on countries that trade with Iran; however, the US Supreme Court struck down the legal basis for such measures.

On the other hand, a anti-Russia “crushing” sanctions bill passed by the Senate includes new restrictions on Iran and grants Trump tariff authority.

This bill must also pass a vote in the House of Representatives; however, the text faces opposition from both Democrats and certain Republican lawmakers.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced in mid-August that Trump would disclose new measures designed to raise Iran’s economic isolation to an unprecedented level.

Stating that the US President had instructed the re-establishment of the maximum economic pressure policy against Tehran, Bessent said, “We have moved from Epic Fury to Economic Fury.”

Following Bessent’s statements, Bloomberg noted that Tehran has learned to manage the consequences of a naval blockade and thousands of restrictions. According to the agency’s analysts, the principal obstacle facing Washington is the close economic relationship between Iran and China; indeed, Beijing secures more than 90% of Iranian oil exports. Sanctioning the entities facilitating these purchases would directly reduce Tehran’s oil revenues, yet the US is avoiding this step for now.

Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains restricted. On August 11, Iran conveyed its conditions for lifting the blockade in the strait to the US through intermediaries.

Tehran’s conditions included an end to threats and military actions, the lifting of the blockade and sanctions, compensation for damages, and the release of frozen assets.

On August 14, Trump claimed that following the end of the war with Iran, he would declare the Strait of Hormuz to be US territory. Responding to these statements, the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned that the Strait of Hormuz could not be seized “by a tweet, an aircraft carrier, an executive order, or a campaign speech.”

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