Summary
- Dem lawmakers pressed US security firms for answers.
- Personnel accused of deadly violence against Gaza civilians.
- Firms UG Solutions, Safe Reach worked with Gaza aid.
- Allegations involve lethal force and crowd control use.
- Lawmakers request details on rules and oversight.
Sens. Peter Welch and Chris Van Hollen, as well as Reps. Joaquin Castro and Sara Jacobs, voice their concerns in a letter initially received by CNN on allegations that the two businesses, UG Solutions and Safe Reach Solutions, are engaged in "deadly security operations in Gaza."
“Reports and firsthand witnesses have indicated to us that your personnel —American veterans hired as private security contractors—were brought into Israel on tourist visas inappropriate for the intended purpose of their travel, sent to Gaza armed for combat, and ordered by Israeli officials to use lethal force against unarmed and starving Palestinian civilians,”
said the letter to the CEOs of the two companies.
“We have also learned that under Israeli orders, your personnel are conducting crowd control at food distribution sites by firing live rounds over the heads of civilians and using stun grenades and pepper spray — all in an active military zone under direct supervision by Israeli military officers,”
the letter said.
“As a result, we are deeply concerned that you may have failed to alert your personnel — or investors — of the immense legal risks they face for conducting what amounts to military operations on behalf of the Israeli government on land outside of the State of Israel,”
it said.
Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions have been contacted by CNN for comment.
The rules of engagement for workers in Gaza and the degree to which employees and investors were made aware of their possible exposure to lawsuits pertaining to suspected war crimes and torture are among the questions the MPs are trying to answer.
Within two weeks, they asked for their responses.
The letters also asked the companies to
“preserve all documents and communications related to (their) contracts and work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.”
International assistance organizations have sharply criticized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private organization supported by the US and Israel that was founded to deliver supplies during the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, for the way its distribution centers operate. Around the sites, hundreds have died while attempting to obtain much-needed food.
International assistance organizations have sharply criticized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private organization supported by the US and Israel that was founded to deliver supplies during the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, for the way its distribution centers operate. Around the sites, hundreds have died while attempting to obtain much-needed food.
US authorities have praised the foundation's efforts, saying it is the only group that has prevented Hamas from plundering supplies on a large scale. There was no indication of systemic theft by Hamas, according to an internal USAID study.
What specific allegations have been made against the security firms in Gaza?
Personnel from these firms, who are mostly US veterans hired as security contractors, have been accused of using deadly violence against unarmed Palestinian civilians seeking aid. A former contractor recounted instances where guards fired live rounds at Palestinians posing no threat, including firing machine guns from watchtowers at civilians such as women, children, and the elderly simply moving too slowly away from the site.
One incident described involved a contractor firing 15 to 20 rounds into a crowd, resulting in at least one Palestinian fatality, with contractors reportedly laughing afterward.
The GHF system is criticized for causing chaotic, first-come, first-served handouts that attract large crowds, leading to violence and a high civilian death toll.