It seems that the irony of an Israeli official mocking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Palestinian governance in Gaza after the war, and his search for "security personnel from Switzerland," as reported, may indeed materialize. The Israeli government has begun considering the possibility of bringing in international private security contractors to protect humanitarian aid delivery operations to Gaza, according to a former American official and two current officials.
They clarified that some officials in the U.S. administration are hesitant to send American troops or security contractors on the ground in Gaza, expressing concerns about providing American security in the Palestinian territory or even the temporary dock currently being constructed, as reported by NBC News. Additionally, they revealed that the Israeli government has already contacted several private security firms, although they refused to identify these firms. They also noted that Israelis had suggested that other countries cover the high costs for these contractors.
This idea was proposed a few weeks ago alongside the Biden administration's announcement that it would create a floating dock off the coast of Gaza to facilitate aid deliveries by sea from Cyprus. It is noteworthy that the first humanitarian aid ship arrived in Gaza on Friday via the sea route between Cyprus and the territory, carrying 200 tons of food and relief supplies. This ship departed from Larnaca port, in collaboration with the UAE, Cyprus, and the World Central Kitchen relief organization, which announced on Tuesday that it carried supplies including rice, flour, legumes, canned vegetables, and proteins.
This came after the Pentagon previously stated that the construction of the temporary dock would take 60 days, involving about 1,000 American soldiers, who would later transfer the aid to Gaza using small boats, without actually setting foot on the shore.
