The search for a viable “day after” strategy in Gaza has stalled negotiations between the U.S., Arab nations, and Hamas, contributing to the terrorist group’s refusal to release the remaining 55 hostages.
However, Washington-based foreign policy leaders and security experts suggest private security contractors (PSCs) could offer a solution for rebuilding the war-torn Gaza Strip.
John Hannah, former national security advisor to Dick Cheney and current Randi & Charles Wax senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), told Digital that PSCs, with their extensive experience in the and decades of accumulated knowledge, could act as non-state entities to stabilize the region and guide Palestinians forward, starting with humanitarian aid.
Following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, a group of eight members from JINSA and the Vandenberg Coalition developed a report outlining how the could revolutionize security in the region.
The initial concept resembled the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by the U.S. and Israel, which launched last month to provide aid to Palestinians.
However, Hannah and his team’s plan went further, advocating for these aid organizations to participate in Gaza’s reconstruction.
“We thought humanitarian issues was the best way [forward],” Hannah said. “It was the common denominator that would allow all of the major stakeholders that want to get to a better ‘day after’ – Israel, the United States, the key pragmatic Arab states – they all could agree that we can’t agree on a political vision for Palestine 10 years from now, and the issue of a Palestinian state, but we can all agree on this apple pie and motherhood issue that we don’t want to see starving, .”
While the Israel Defense Forces aimed to eliminate Hamas after the unprecedented attack on Israel, the experts also recognized the need to overhaul aid distribution, which Hamas had been using to maintain power by incentivizing support, recruiting members, and punishing opposition.
“We needed a solution on humanitarian aid,” Hannah said. “And when we looked around the world, who could do this, take over the humanitarian aid? We were left with one option.”
“We didn’t think it should be the Israel Defense Forces. Israel lacks legitimacy with the Palestinian population, and frankly, it had its hands full doing the military job of defeating Hamas,” he added. “American forces weren’t going to do it. We didn’t think Arab forces would step up and do this. And the U.N. system as it was illegitimate in the eyes of Israel.”
The group briefed both the Biden and administrations on their proposal and held discussions with Israeli officials in 2024 to explore its implementation.
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, who oversaw PSC accountability in Iraq following the 2007 Blackwater incident, also briefed Israeli officials on how a PSC mechanism could function in Gaza.
Progress on the proposal slowed by the summer of last year due to increasing between then-President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rising Palestinian civilian casualties.
However, Hannah wondered if the idea had taken root by the time the Trump administration returned to office, paving the way for the GHF’s aid distribution.
Despite distributing over 16 million meals since late May, the GHF experienced a turbulent start, with reports of violence and desperate Palestinians overwhelming distribution sites.
While reports of the chaos have been reportedly – which ultimately would benefit from the GHF’s failure as experts have explained – the group faced initial criticism regarding transparency, which it is now addressing with regular updates.
The GHF, which recently appointed its third leader in as many weeks, told Digital that it aims to collaborate with major organizations like the United Nations to improve aid distribution in Gaza, where existing programs are struggling.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed last month that would protect the GHF’s distribution centers.
While Washington supports the GHF, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce has emphasized that it is “an independent organization” that “does not receive U.S. government funding.”
However, she has also whether any U.S. officials are working for the program.
PSCs have a long history in the Middle East, extending beyond the U.S. war on terror, and have been employed by nations like and the UAE, potentially granting them a level of acceptance that other forces might not achieve.
Hannah and his colleagues’ proposal extended the use of PSCs beyond humanitarian aid, suggesting they could contribute to the actual reconstruction of Gaza – an idea also presented to the Trump administration this year.
“It’s not at all foreign to these Arab parties that you might employ PSCs for certain critical missions,” Hannah said. “Our idea was, let’s scale it up. Let’s unify the effort. Let’s have America and the Arabs lead it.
“The Arabs would put in most of the humanitarian aid workers, a lot of the financing, and then they would hire some of these international PSCs with a lot of experience to come in and protect those operations,” he explained. “You’d have the Arabs engaged, which we thought was absolutely critical.”
The plan also involved incorporating other to collaborate with PSCs on expanding housing projects, community development, and infrastructure repair to restore electricity and water.
“And eventually, hopefully, begin to identify new leadership, local leadership in Gaza, who would be prepared to cooperate with the operations of this nonprofit entity,” Hannah said. “Local Gazans of goodwill, who wanted to be rid of Hamas, who this entity could provide some support to, some protection to so they can, could begin rebuilding Gaza civil administration.”
The plan also addressed the ongoing challenge of deterring future Hamas terrorists, particularly during Israeli military operations.
Hannah suggested simultaneously training a “non-Hamas new Palestinian, local Palestinian security force” that would earn the trust of both the local population and Israel.
Hannah maintains that this plan remains a viable option for securing Gaza but urged the Trump administration to take a more active diplomatic role by leveraging to facilitate its implementation.
The White House did not respond to Digital’s requests for comment on this report.