Gaza checkpoint to be staffed by armed American contractors: Reuters

A small US security firm is hiring nearly 100 US special forces veterans to help run a checkpoint in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas truce, according to Reuters sources, introducing armed American contractors into the heart of one of the world's most violent conflict zones.

UG Solutions - a low-profile company founded in 2023 and based in Davidson, North Carolina - is offering a daily rate starting at $1,100 with a $10,000 advance to veterans it hires, the email said.

They will staff the checkpoint at a key intersection in Gaza's interior, said the spokesperson, who confirmed the authenticity of the email.

Some people have been recruited and are already at the checkpoint, said the spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity. He did not say how many contractors were already in Gaza.

UG Solutions' role in the ceasefire deal has been reported, but the email disclosed previously unknown details including the aim of recruiting 96 veterans exclusively with US special operations forces backgrounds, the pay and the types of weapons they will carry.

Reuters reported on January 7 that Emirati officials had suggested the use of private contractors as part of a post-war peacekeeping force in Gaza, and that the idea had caused concern among Western nations.

The deployment of armed US contractors in Gaza, where Hamas remains a potent force after 14 months of war, is unprecedented and poses the risk that Americans could be drawn into fighting as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to keep the Hamas-Israel conflict from reigniting.

Among the risks facing the Americans are gunfights with Islamist militants or Palestinians angry over Washington's support for Israel's Gaza offensive.

"Of course there is a threat they will face," said Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official.

The document said the contractors will be armed with M4 rifles, which are used by the Israeli and US militaries, and Glock pistols.

The rules of engagement governing when UG Solutions personnel can open fire have been finalised, the spokesperson said, but he declined to disclose them.

"We have the right to defend ourselves," he said. He declined to discuss how the company won the contract.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel on Tuesday told reporters, without naming UG Solutions or the United States, that Israel had demanded that the deal include the use of a private security firm, working with "an Egyptian security company or forces" to help maintain security and humanitarian aid flows in Gaza.

But, she said, it remained to be seen if the arrangement "actually works".

Earlier rounds of ceasefire negotiations were held up by an Israeli demand to staff the checkpoint with its own troops.

Witnesses in Gaza have in recent days described Egyptian security personnel at the checkpoint using scanners to look for weapons concealed in vehicles.

An Egyptian source said the Egyptians at the checkpoint were special forces trained in recent months including on counter terrorism.

A Palestinian official close to the talks confirmed US contractors would also be at the checkpoint, at the intersection of the Netzarim Corridor dividing northern and southern Gaza and Salah al-Din Street, which separates the east and west of the enclave.

However, the official said they would be deployed away from residents passing through and they must not deal with the local population.