Former US special forces to man Gaza checkpoint

UG Solutions will man a checkpoint at the intersection of the Netzarim Corridor and Salah al-Din Street with Egyptian security personnel.

UG Solutions, a small US-based security company, is hiring about 100 former US special forces officers to man a checkpoint in Gaza during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Reuters reported.

Founded in 2023, UG Solutions, a low-profile security company based in Davidson, North Carolina, is offering the veterans a starting salary of $1,100 per day and a down payment of $10,000. According to a company spokesperson, the private security personnel will work at a critical checkpoint in the interior of Gaza.

The spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a number of people have been recruited and have already started working at the checkpoint, located at the intersection of the Netzarim Corridor, which divides Gaza north and south, and Salah al-Din Street, which divides Gaza east and west. However, he did not provide information on how many people were on the ground.

While UG Solutions’ role in the ceasefire is well known, a recruitment email from the security company analyzed by Reuters revealed previously unknown details about the special recruitment of 96 US special forces members, their salaries, and the weapons to be used.
Reuters reported on 7 January that United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials had proposed the use of private security companies as part of a post-war peacekeeping force in Gaza, an idea that raised concerns among Western countries.

After 14 months of war, the deployment of armed US private security guards to Gaza, where Hamas is still strong, risks American involvement in the conflict.

‘Of course they will face threats,’ said former Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed, noting that US personnel could be involved in clashes with armed groups or become targets of Palestinians angry over Washington’s support for Israel’s operation in Gaza.

According to company documents, private security personnel will be equipped with M4 rifles and Glock pistols used by the US and Israeli militaries. A spokesperson for UG Solutions said rules of engagement have been set for when personnel can open fire but could not share that information. ‘We have the right to defend ourselves,’ he said.

The role of Israel and Egypt

Without mentioning UG Solutions or the United States, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said that Israel has requested the use of a private security firm to maintain security in Gaza and to keep humanitarian aid flowing. This private company would work with an Egyptian security company or Egyptian security forces, he said.

However, Haskel emphasized that time will tell whether this arrangement ‘will actually work’.

Eyewitnesses reported that Egyptian security personnel at the checkpoint in Gaza used scanners to detect weapons hidden in vehicles. An Egyptian source said that security personnel at the checkpoint had received specialized training in recent months, including counter-terrorism training.

Palestinian officials also confirmed that US private security personnel would be present at the checkpoint. However, it was reported that they would not have direct contact with the population and would not deal with civilians passing through the checkpoint.

Past scandals

The use of private security companies by the US has caused major crises in the past. In 2007, mercenaries from the private security company Blackwater operating in Iraq killed 14 civilians in Nisur Square in Baghdad, sparking a major diplomatic crisis. The US court convicted four Blackwater employees, but the Trump administration pardoned them in its first term.

In 2004, four Blackwater employees were killed by armed groups in Fallujah, Iraq, and the bodies of two of them were hung from a bridge, prompting the US military to launch a large-scale military operation.

A spokesperson for UG Solutions said that the company’s recruited personnel were collaborating with US-based Safe Reach Solutions on logistics and planning. According to the recruitment email, each employee will receive $500,000 in accident insurance and a daily wage of up to $1,250 for special forces medical personnel.

Funding and the US role

A source familiar with the deal said that Israel and some unnamed Arab countries were among the countries funding the security company, but that the US government did not play a direct role in the inclusion of the company in the ceasefire agreement or in the signing of the contract.

Ahmed Fuad Alhatib, an expert at the Atlantic Council who grew up in Gaza, said he did not foresee any major risks for the Americans, adding that their presence reinforces Hamas’ narrative of victory over Israel. “Hamas, for all its harsh rhetoric and actions, knows that the American presence fuels its narrative of victory,” he said.

A US private security company source familiar with the UG Solutions contract, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the deployment of Americans in Gaza appeared dangerous and feared that fighting could erupt ‘very quickly’.

It is unclear what would happen if the Americans were attacked or taken hostage, or which country’s laws would govern the contractor’s actions. ‘We are adequately equipped to protect our own security,’ the UG spokesperson said.