Could private security contractors be the 'day after' solution in Gaza?

The question of a "day after" program successful the Gaza Strip has plagued negotiations betwixt Israel, the U.S., Arab nations and Hamas for months and has yet led to the violent network’s refusal to merchandise the 55 hostages inactive held there. 

However, overseas argumentation leaders and information experts based successful Washington whitethorn person the cardinal that could supply a solution to assistance rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip wherever others cannot: backstage information contractors (PSC).

PSCs, which person dense acquisition successful the Middle East and decades of lessons learned to gully from, could beryllium utilized arsenic non-state actors to supply stableness and a way guardant for the Palestinians, but they would person to commencement with humanitarian aid, John Hannah, erstwhile nationalist information advisor to Dick Cheney and existent Randi & Charles Wax elder chap astatine the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), told Fox News Digital.

Palestinians proceed their regular lives nether harsh conditions amid the rubble of destroyed buildings successful the Jabalia exile campy successful bluish Gaza pursuing the enforcement of a ceasefire statement connected Feb. 10, 2025. (Mahmoud ssa/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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In a program hatched retired pursuing Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 onslaught connected Israel and the consequent outbreak of warfare successful the Gaza Strip, a radical of 8 members with JINSA and the Vandenberg Coalition comprised a study that elaborate however the handling of humanitarian aid could wholly alteration information successful the region. 

The plan, successful part, initially looked akin to the mechanics known arsenic the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by the U.S. and Israel, and which launched past period to administer assistance to Palestinians. 

However, the program comprised by Hannah and the squad took it a measurement further and argued that these assistance actors should besides beryllium progressive successful rebuilding Gaza.

"We thought humanitarian issues was the champion mode [forward]," Hannah said. "It was the communal denominator that would let each of the large stakeholders that privation to get to a amended ‘day after’ – Israel, the United States, the cardinal pragmatic Arab states – they each could hold that we can't hold connected a governmental imaginativeness for Palestine 10 years from now, and the contented of a Palestinian state, but we tin each hold connected this pome pastry and motherhood contented that we don't privation to spot starving, suffering Palestinians."

Hamas terrorists look successful a amusement of strength, escorting Red Cross vehicles carrying 3 Israeli hostages to beryllium released arsenic portion of the ceasefire deal. (TPS-IL)

The Israel Defense Forces had already elaborate the request to destruct Hamas pursuing the deadliest-ever onslaught connected Israel, but the radical of 8 experts besides identified that aid, agelong utilized by Hamas to support powerfulness by utilizing it to incentivize enactment and recruitment, and to punish opposition, needed to beryllium the cardinal to cementing existent change. 

"We needed a solution connected humanitarian aid," Hannah said. "And erstwhile we looked astir the world, who could bash this, instrumentality implicit the humanitarian aid? We were near with 1 option."

Displaced Palestinians enactment up pans to cod blistery nutrient from a foundation nutrient organisation halfway successful Gaza City, bluish Gaza, connected Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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"We didn't deliberation it should beryllium the Israel Defense Forces. Israel lacks legitimacy with the Palestinian population, and frankly, it had its hands afloat doing the subject occupation of defeating Hamas," helium added.  "American forces weren't going to bash it. We didn't deliberation Arab forces would measurement up and bash this. And the U.N. strategy arsenic it existed nether UNRWA was illegitimate successful the eyes of Israel."

The radical not lone briefed the Biden and Netanyahu administrations connected the proposal, but held galore discussions with Israeli officials successful 2024 connected however specified a program could work. 

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero – who served arsenic lawman main of staff, Strategic Operations for Multinational Forces-Iraq for 2007-2008 and who was tasked by Gen. David Petraeus to make a strategy of accountability implicit PSCs successful Iraq pursuing the Blackwater incidental successful September 2007 known arsenic the Nisour Square massacre – besides briefed Israeli officials connected however a PSC mechanics could enactment successful the Gaza Strip.

Progress connected the connection appeared to stall by summertime past twelvemonth arsenic then-President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were astatine expanding loggerheads implicit humanitarian concerns and mounting civilian Palestinian decease tolls. 

However, Hannah questioned whether the effect had been planted with Israel by the clip the Trump medication re-entered office, enabling the GHF to travel successful and commencement distributing aid. 

The GHF, though it has distributed implicit 16 cardinal meals since it began operations successful precocious May, saw a chaotic commencement with starving Palestinians rushing definite sites and reports of unit unfolding. 

A motortruck loaded with humanitarian assistance for the Gaza Strip makes its mode to the Kerem Shalom crossing successful confederate Israel, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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Though the reports of the level of chaos person reportedly been exaggerated by Hamas – which yet would payment from the GHF’s nonaccomplishment arsenic experts person explained – the radical initially drew immoderate disapproval implicit transparency concerns, though the radical has been looking to remedy this with regal updates.

The group, which saw its 3rd enactment successful arsenic galore weeks earlier this month, told Fox News Digital that contempt immoderate vexation among satellite leaders and assistance groups, its extremity is to enactment with large organizations similar the United Nations and others to amended administer assistance crossed Gaza wherever those programs are inactive flagging.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed past period that the GHF’s organisation centers would beryllium protected by private information contractors.

Palestinians successful Gaza get assistance from the U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation)

Though portion Washington backs the effort, State Department spokeperson Tammy Bruce has repeatedly made wide that the GHF is "an autarkic organization" that "does not person U.S. authorities funding." 

However, she has besides refused to confirm whether immoderate U.S. officials are moving for the program. 

PSCs person a storied past successful the Middle East, and not lone the U.S. warfare connected terror. They person been utilized by nations similar Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which could lend them a level of acceptance that would not beryllium attainable by different force. 

The connection issued by Hannah and his colleagues took the usage of PSCs 1 measurement beyond humanitarian assistance and argued they could marque a affirmative interaction successful the existent reconstruction of the Gaza Strip – an thought that was besides presented to the Trump medication this year. 

Displaced Palestinians hold to person a escaped repast from a foundation nutrient organisation halfway successful Gaza City, bluish Gaza, connected Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photographer: Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"It's not astatine each overseas to these Arab parties that you mightiness employment PSCs for definite captious missions," Hannah said. "Our thought was, let's standard it up. Let's unify the effort. Let's person America and the Arabs pb it. 

"The Arabs would enactment successful astir of the humanitarian assistance workers, a batch of the financing, and past they would prosecute immoderate of these planetary PSCs with a batch of acquisition to travel successful and support those operations," helium explained. "You'd person the Arabs engaged, which we thought was perfectly critical."

The program besides included bringing successful different international assistance organizations that would enactment with these PSCs to grow developments similar lodging projects, assemblage improvement and infrastructure repair to reconstruct energy and water.

"And eventually, hopefully, statesman to place caller leadership, section enactment successful Gaza, who would beryllium prepared to cooperate with the operations of this nonprofit entity," Hannah said. "Local Gazans of goodwill, who wanted to beryllium escaped of Hamas, who this entity could supply immoderate enactment to, immoderate extortion to truthful they can, could statesman rebuilding Gaza civilian administration."

Destroyed buildings are pictured successful the westbound of Beit Lahia successful the bluish Gaza Strip connected Feb. 11, 2025 amid the existent ceasefire woody successful the warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas. (BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images)

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The program besides addressed the perpetual question of however to deter the adjacent procreation of Hamas terrroirsts, peculiarly amid Israeli subject operations.

Hannah argued this contented could beryllium addressed by simultaneously grooming a "non-Hamas caller Palestinian, section Palestinian information force" that would not lone person the spot of the section colonisation but could besides summation the spot of Israel.  

Hannah said helium inactive believes this program could beryllium a tenable adjacent measurement to securing the Gaza Strip but urged the Trump medication to instrumentality a much nonstop diplomatic relation by leaning connected Arab, European and Israeli partners to marque it happen.

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital's questions astir this reporting.