An American company, likely to take over aid distribution in Gaza, proposes a plan inspired by the “gated communities or zones” model implemented by America in Iraq during its occupation of the country, according to the company’s statement to “Arabi Post.” The plan also involves a private security company composed of several firms, including a successor to the infamous “Blackwater,” which committed violations against civilians in Iraq.
The company behind the plan is “Global Delivery Company” (GDC), known briefly as GDC, and led by American-Israeli businessman Moti Kahana, who describes his company as the “Uber for war zones.” The proposed plan would transform neighborhoods in Gaza into small, fenced areas managed with stringent security measures.
However, the plan may face opposition from Palestinian factions in the sector. Hamas has previously vowed to “strike with an iron fist anyone who tampers with the internal front in the Gaza Strip” and stated that it “will not allow the imposition of new rules.”
GDC’s name came up as Israeli officials discuss the possibility of resorting to private foreign security firms to manage aid distribution in Gaza. Israeli newspapers, including “Haaretz” and “Yedioth Ahronoth,” reported that this company is the most likely candidate for this task.
The company, in its response to our questions, did not confirm an Israeli decision to entrust it with aid distribution in Gaza, saying only that it “has extensive experience in this field over 14 years, having worked in Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine since 2011.”
The company’s website mentions that it has helped evacuate several Jews in Syria and Afghanistan and contributed to “rescuing an 800-year-old Torah manuscript from Yemen.”
Applying an American General’s Model in Iraq to Gaza GDC revealed in its responses to “Arabi Post” that it proposed a model to Israel in January 2024 for an aid distribution program in Gaza, similar to the “gated communities” project implemented by American General David Petraeus in Iraq.
Since “we presented our plan to Israel, the latter has tried to cooperate with local leaders in Gaza to distribute aid, but without building secure walls, which is a fundamental element of this model,” the company stated. It noted that Hamas has confronted the implementation of this plan by “attacking local leaders,” according to the company.
Petraeus, a retired American general who served 37 years in the U.S. Army, was appointed in January 2007 as the commander of the Multinational Force in Iraq and was later chosen by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2011 as the director of the CIA.
Between 2007-2008, Petraeus implemented what he called the “counterinsurgency approach,” which included establishing closed areas governed by strict security measures. The American justification at the time was to reduce the number of bombings and attacks on neighborhoods and prevent the entry of fighters during the peak of fighting between Shia and Sunni.
Petraeus explained this approach on the sidelines of a conference he attended in Israel in March 2024, which includes:
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- “Cleansing” the area (of fighters).
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- Firmly controlling the area.
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- Isolating the area by building walls.
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- Establishing gated communities (closed).
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- Using “biometric” ID cards (for resident screening and security checks) to ensure militants cannot enter the neighborhoods.
According to this plan, America established several closed areas in Iraq, including 13 zones in Fallujah alone, and other areas in Baghdad, especially in Azamiyah, which was surrounded by walls three and a half meters high, enclosing the area from all sides.
Barriers were also set up in Azamiyah, causing protests by hundreds of people who described the measures applied in their areas as “making them prisoners in their own neighborhoods.” The implementation of Petraeus’s plan also included setting up checkpoints at the entrances and exits of the areas, causing significant hardship for residents, according to testimonies of Iraqis who spoke to Reuters, while America claimed that its plan reduced attacks and contributed to increased security, according to its expression.
