Here are the US security contractors set to distribute Gaza aid in Trump plan

Two companies have been identified as potential partners in a controversial US plan to distribute food supplies in the Gaza Strip, bypassing UNRWA and other UN agencies, The New Arab's sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has reported.

They were identified as Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions.

In mid-January, Safe Reach Solutions were mentioned in US media outlets as a potential partner in the plan, and have been tasked with securing checkpoints and inspecting vehicles heading into northern Gaza, in cooperation with the US security company UG Solutions.

Supplies distributed from these zones will be vetted by Israeli forces and the contractors, while Israeli media previously reported that the aid will only be given once a week, fuelling serious concerns that Palestinians will only be given enough food so they don't starve to death.

The Israeli army recently told Hebrew media that "each representative of a Gaza family will receive exactly the amount that is sufficient for his family to prevent a situation of starvation."

Israel won't provide supplies

The US’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, announced on Friday that Israel will not be participating in aid distribution in Gaza, and will only provide security in a scheme that is set to begin soon.

Huckabee said that some "partners" have already agreed on being a part of the scheme but do not yet want to reveal their identities. He also said more details will be revealed in the coming days.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce spoke to reporters on the issue, saying: "While we don’t have anything specific to announce today, and I won’t speak on behalf of the institution that will undertake this work, we welcome initiatives aimed at delivering urgent food aid to Gaza quickly".

The plan, rejected firmly by the UN, would see limited humanitarian aid distributed by private companies in "hubs" and "sterile zones" established by Israeli forces in southern Gaza, following over two months of a total siege on the Gaza Strip that has brought the territory to the brink of famine.

While the UN has lambasted the idea, stating it would violate humanitarian principles and would force vulnerable civilians into military zones to collect rations, putting them in danger, Israel has continued to demand the assistance of the two US companies.

Safe Reach Solutions

Just after US President Donald Trump won US elections in November last year amid ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the former head of the CIA’s Centre for Special Activities (CSA) Philip Raleigh, founded Safe Reach Solutions in Wyoming.

Tracking of the companies’ activities carried out by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed revealed in January 2025 that armed personnel from an American security contractor took over the management of checkpoints where Israel withdrew from Gaza, searching vehicles heading north of the Strip.

The security contractor was later identified as UG solutions, which worked with Safe Reach Solutions on planning and logistics.

Together, the two companies contracted over 100 former US military personnel, and the weapons they were potentially expected to carry have been listed as assault rifles, Glock pistols and knives.

In a memo from UG Solutions, it was revealed that the estimated daily salary for each of the US military personnel working for the two companies was $1,100 for operators and $1,250 for paramedics, with an advance payment of $10,000 within five days of arriving in Gaza.

A leaked memo detailing the mission at the time further revealed that team members must be able to defend themselves and that there will be outlined written rules of engagement that they will receive upon arrival.

Hiring process begins

This week, job openings appeared on the UG Solutions website for coordination officers and humanitarian liaison officers in the Middle East.

The job description states that applicants must be fluent in spoken and written Arabic or have extensive field experience in the Middle East.

The company also required applicants to have at least seven years of experience working with humanitarian organisations, NGOs or UN agencies in executive roles, in addition to experience working abroad – preferably in the Middle East.

The job openings require applicants to be US citizens and states they must be able to "navigate sensitive context". A LinkedIn page for the job listings states over 100 people have so far applied for the position.

Safe Reach Solutions’ LinkedIn page lists one of the company’s senior employees as Joe L’Etoile, who joined in January this year, the same time the ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Gaza.

Prior to that, he worked for the US Department of Defence from 2017 to 2020 as director of the Close Combat Effectiveness Task Force Professional Team.

UG Solutions

Based in North Carolina, UG Solutions was founded by Jameson Govoni, a retired US Special Forces soldier who told ABC News he helped create a Special Forces surveillance programme, aimed at training special operations soldiers to carry out surveillance and find hard-to-find terrorist cells around the world.

The website lists states they "provide global solutions and operate in high-risk and commercial environments" and states one of their current programmes are "providing humanitarian assistance in high-risk environments [and] protecting entrepreneurs and their assets worldwide."

Other companies involved in the plan

A new aid foundation reportedly also close to coming into agreement with Israel for the plan is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

"These sites will provide food, water, and hygiene kits (and potentially food) with plans to scale to reach over 2 million people across Gaza," a memo from the organisation read.

According to Axios, former World Food Programme head David Beasely, listed in the memo as a member of the advisory board – which is being finalised – is negotiating the reintroduction of aid, which has been suspended for over two months by Israel.

Axios also said that the US and Israel are pressuring for the cooperation of the UN and for countries to help finance the group.

Alongside sending aid into the enclave, GHF’s plan would see the use of private contractors to secure it, saying: "On-site and perimeter security will be provided by experienced professionals, including personnel who previously secured the Netzarim Corridor during a recent ceasefire."

GHF would also work with the UN and other aid agencies in distributing aid on the ground, help train locals to take over aid operations in other areas of the enclave, and may expand services to include "safe lodging, showers, restrooms, and operating spaces for NGOs."

GHF says it has "third party oversight at every layer", including insurance firms, law firms and banking that is meant to shore up trust in the organisation.

As well as starving Gaza of aid, Israel has also outlawed the operations of the UN's agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the main provider of humanitarian relief in the Palestinian territory.

UNRWA not only provides aid to the enclave but key administrative functions such as providing schooling to Gaza’s children – which make up half of the population.