Israel tasks UAE with governing post-war Gaza: Report
A consortium of private security contractors will operate the Netzarim corridor to control displaced Palestinians returning to their homes in the northern strip
The UAE and Israel agreed that the Gulf emirate would take over the management of the Gaza Strip after the war, Israel Hayom reported on 22 January.
Some have proposed the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the occupied West Bank on Israel's behalf, be tasked with controlling the strip should the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas hold.
However, the two countries agreed the UAE would take over governance of the strip only following an “invitation” by the Palestinians.
The agreement comes after Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said in the Knesset on Wednesday that any initiative for the governance of Gaza seen as coming on behalf of Israel would be viewed as illegitimate. It would be “dead on arrival,” he said.
Dermer added that Israel is “working on it, and [he is] a partner in this work regarding the day after in Gaza.”
“Because this is an Israeli plan, we need to harness both the United States and the forces in the region, and I am very optimistic that it will be possible to reach management in Gaza 'the day after' exactly according to the framework established by the Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu]. We will talk less and do more,” Dermer said.
Israel Hayom wrote that the UAE would provide governance and probably security while rebuilding Gazan society in such a way that it cannot “pose a threat to Israel again.”
Before the start of Israel's genocide on Gaza on 7 October 2023, the UAE operated hospitals and a desalination plant in the strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that neither Hamas nor the PA will be allowed to govern Gaza.
On 23 January, Axios reported that a consortium of private security contractors would start in the coming days to operate the Israeli army checkpoint at the Netzarim corridor, which bisects Gaza into two parts – north and south.
These contractors will deploy armed guards to the enclave, according to two Israeli officials and a source with direct knowledge.
As part of the ceasefire deal reached between Hamas and Israel to end fighting in the strip, Palestinians seeking to return to north Gaza in their cars may only pass through one road and would have to be inspected at a checkpoint on the Netzarim corridor operated by a third party.
“The consortium's role is to oversee, manage, and secure a critical vehicle checkpoint along Salah al-Din Road, facilitating the safe return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. The consortium aims to ensure orderly vehicle movement while preventing the transport of weapons northward, in line with the ceasefire terms,” a source familiar with the issue said.
The consortium is made up of three private companies appointed that were selected by the US, Egypt, and Qatar with the consent of Israel and Hamas:
Safe Reach Solutions (SRS) – a strategic planning and logistics company. SRS drafted the operational plan for the checkpoint, UG Solutions – a US private security company that operates armed guards around the world, many of whom are former US Special Forces soldiers, and an unnamed Egyptian security company, which the Egyptian intelligence service has approved and that will also deploy security guards to Gaza.
Over 100,000 Palestinians in north Gaza fled south after October 2023, when Israeli forces began implementing the so-called Generals Plan.
Israel sought to ethnically cleanse several hundreds of Palestinians in the towns and refugee camps of Beit Lahia, Jabalia.
They laid siege to the towns to prevent the entry of food and water and launched attacks on them, assuming that anyone left must be Palestinian resistance fighters from Hamas or other factions.