When the gates of an aid site in Gaza creaked open shortly after dawn, a thin line of men and women waited silently behind coils of fencing. Some held plastic bowls, others documents issued by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Drone footage accessed by NDTV shows American veterans -- uniforms stripped of insignia, rifles slung low -- directing local workers as large pallets of food are off-loaded from armoured trucks.
They are employees of UG Solutions, a US-based organisation that calls itself a "purpose-driven humanitarian logistics and threat-assessment company," now operating in one of the most politically fraught environments in the world.
Aid agencies have heavily criticised the GHF. Over 150 organisations, including Oxfam, have condemned its model. Amnesty International said the Foundation "does not adhere to core humanitarian standards," noting that four militarised distribution sites replaced 400 earlier aid points, forcing millions into overcrowded zones. Doctors Without Borders called the sites "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid." Gaza's Health Ministry has reported dozens of killings at GHF-run sites.
For nearly a year, as Gaza attempted to emerge from the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war, UG Solutions has become a fixture at at least four GHF distribution sites. Their presence has raised questions: Who regulates them? What are they authorised to do? And how do they navigate the political minefield between Israel, Hamas, and a battered civilian population?
The group says it is neither a private military contractor nor a conventional humanitarian outfit. In operational terms, the company grew out of The Sentinel Foundation, a US anti-child trafficking non-profit known for field operations in Southeast Asia. When Sentinel's staff began receiving requests from private-sector clients, UG Solutions was formed-with a heavy concentration of former elite American military personnel.
"UG Solutions, at its core, is a company of American veterans who are mission-driven and want to continue to serve the greater good, just in a new capacity. After spending many years in uniform, our staff and cadre have significant depth of expertise in operating in areas of conflict and post-conflict, but that is not what drives them. Helping people during difficult times is what motivates them, so the company continues to move from simply classic security contracting to building a bridge between security and humanitarian operations," the company told NDTV.
They insist they are undergoing humanitarian-sector training and are "building a bridge" between security and aid delivery, not drifting into private military activity. Their personnel at distribution compounds operate mainly with non-lethal tools: bullhorns, sound grenades, and pepper spray.
The distinction they draw is that threat assessment relates to ensuring safe distribution and movement of goods, whereas private military activity implies offensive or defensive combat capability-something they say they do not undertake.
What The Company Does
The group operates in Gaza under a contract from Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), which in turn works under the authority of the GHF. Their stated mission is to secure four GHF distribution sites, protect logistics vehicles moving across the Strip and maintain 24/7 readiness.
But the company acknowledges that its role could expand.
"We are well-positioned to meet any need for expansion of the mission in Gaza, to include assisting other humanitarian aid organisations with security and advising of the situation on the ground in the Strip," the company told NDTV.
According to a Drop Site report, the group is expanding recruitment amid expectations that 12 to 15 new humanitarian distribution sites could open in Gaza as early as next month. A former US Army officer who applied for an "International Humanitarian Security Officer" role said a company recruiter described significant hiring needs and deployments beginning in December. He was later rejected despite progressing through multiple interview rounds that included questions on rules of escalation, humanitarian operations, and willingness to take orders from junior-ranked supervisors.
The company previously guarded four GHF sites between May and October. During that period, more than 2,600 Palestinians seeking food were killed and over 19,000 were injured by Israeli forces or security contractors at or near aid distribution points, Drop Site reported. The sites were dismantled after an October 10 ceasefire.
UG Solutions also runs a global executive-protection arm, separate from its humanitarian work. This includes security for celebrities, politicians, and corporate clients.
Inside Gaza, they say no commercial ventures are currently under their protection. But if reconstruction accelerates, they expect demand for "industrial and infrastructure protection" to rise:
"We are able -- and are keen to -- protect reconstruction efforts in Gaza. Without a doubt, there will be a need as unexploded ordnance (UXOs) are removed, rubble is cleaned up and concrete recycled, and key infrastructure is rehabilitated and reconstructed," the company said.
Though based in North Carolina, the group maintains operations worldwide. Their largest current project outside Gaza is an extensive UXO removal operation in Argentina, along with "advanced discussions" on work across multiple African states.
Working With Both Sides
Perhaps the most politically sensitive aspect of UG's Gaza mission is working alongside Israel and Hamas, each controlling different aspects of the Strip.
UG Solutions says that when they first arrived in January 2025, their role was explicitly authorised by both parties under the ceasefire terms.
"When UG Solutions first arrived on the ground in Gaza in January 2025 as a contractor to SRS, we operated as a security provider agreed upon by signatories to the ceasefire, namely the Israeli Government and Hamas. At that time, SRS and UG Solutions would largely coordinate movements and any concerns with the IDF and the group of Egyptian security professionals would do the same with Hamas," the company told NDTV.
The coordination structures were as follows:
Movement and deconfliction with the IDF, who were the "battlespace owner."
Parallel coordination with Hamas via Egyptian intermediaries, though only on issues outside Israeli-controlled zones.
No direct coordination with Hamas at distribution sites, which were located entirely within Israeli-controlled areas.
The group claims that Hamas saw the GHF aid model as a threat to its revenue from "co-opted food supply chains." The company asserts that this is why Hamas later targeted GHF-aligned workers.
"The distribution sites were all located along the line of Israeli control or behind their forward line, meaning that there was no coordination with Hamas. In fact, Hamas' financial situation was so impacted by the GHF-led delivery of food aid that the removal of the GHF from Gaza was a top priority for Hamas during ceasefire negotiations. Without the ability to control or co-opt the food supply, Hamas was unable to make profits off of food aid for their own people," the company told NDTV.
While NDTV could not independently verify the financial details, multiple humanitarian agencies have previously accused Hamas of manipulating aid pipelines.
UG's leadership describes the Palestinian Authority (PA) as "largely absent" in Gaza.
"At this time, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has little engagement or say in what happens in Gaza, despite its position per the Oslo Accords as the recognised government for the Palestinian Territories as their whole. UG Solutions welcomes robust engagement with the PA and its representatives in Gaza," the company said.
On Claims Of US Political Alignment
One of the most persistent criticisms of American-supported aid models is that they serve US geopolitical interests. UG Solutions rejects this. The company said it does not carry out screening of beneficiaries for political affiliation.
"There has been a lot of discussion that UG Solutions as a part of the GHF was not doing humanitarian aid delivery in accordance with international norms. We take great issue with this," the company told NDTV.
Earlier this year, Anthony Aguilar, ex-US Special Forces and UG Solutions subcontractor, turned whistleblower and accused the company of war crimes.
Two UG subcontractors told the Associated Press (AP) and BBC that guards fired live rounds, stun grenades and other munitions at civilians -- including elderly people, women and children -- even when they posed no threat.
An ex-contractor told the BBC some US personnel referred to refugees as "zombie hordes." AP reported eyewitness interviews, internal documents and video verification showing chaotic scenes of gunfire around crowds crushed between metal gates. One video captured a guard firing 15 rounds before another responded, "Hell, yeah, dude."
"The primary source for the story is a disgruntled former contractor who was terminated for misconduct weeks before this article was published. That fact, combined with the AP's refusal to engage in good faith prior to publication, undermines the credibility of their reporting," the GHF said in response.
In September, an investigation led by the BBC claimed that several members of a US biker gang with "a history of hostility to Islam" ran security on the ground in Gaza by UG Solutions. The BBC claimed that the company employed the services of the members of the 'Infidels Motorcycle Club'.
"Beneficiaries were never screened to determine their political affiliation, all were provided food aid equally. We had no desire to restrict family-sized food parcels from anyone in Gaza and worked very hard to ensure orderly distributions and beneficiary registration, though this took time is now standard practice. Our medics provided care to anyone who needed assistance, no questions asked," the company told NDTV.
The company claimed that local Palestinian workers hired under SRS form the backbone of the operation-translating, engaging communities, and managing queues.
"The local worker program, overseen by SRS and supported in large part by UG Solutions, is a vital component to our joint work in Gaza. The local workers are our colleagues and key liaisons with the local community," the company claimed.
"In the early days of the distribution sites, on June, 12, 2025, our local workers were targeted by Hamas on a bus on their way to the sites in Khan Younis. Hamas wanted to frighten anyone away from working at our sites, visiting our sites, or partnering with the Americans. In short, Hamas wanted the people of Gaza - their own people - to continue to suffer," it added.
UG Personnel Injured In Attacks
According to UG Solutions, the most serious attack on UG personnel occurred on July 5, 2025, when a grenade exploded against a static security post. Two American staff were injured, the company claimed.
UG Solutions says that while Hamas did not claim the attack, the explosive type and method were "consistent" with Hamas-aligned units.
"Other incidents took place in the early weeks of the distribution sites as Hamas tried to figure out if there were ways to reduce the operating tempo and availability fo the distribution sites, such as the crush they initiated on July 16, 2025 that resulted in the deaths of 20 Gazans," the company told NDTV.
Who Decides When To Use Force
UG Solutions claims that the Rules of Engagement are crafted jointly by SRS, GHF, and the company's legal and operational teams.
"UG Solutions was selected as the security provider because our cadre of American veterans comes out of top-tier military units - units that required military skill, but also quick thinking and a maturity about the circumstances in which operations are happening. In short, our personnel are the best in the business and are able to better determine when an issue or circumstance can be mitigated with non-lethal means. For Gaza, UG Solutions established rules of engagement (ROE) with our legal team, SRS, and GHF to stay well clear of any possible violations of the Geneva Conventions or other norms.
"It was decided early on by UG Solutions leadership and personnel in Gaza that a free box of food was not worth shooting anyone over, and this was agreed upon with SRS and the GHF," the company told NDTV.
The group said it wants to help "jump-start the Gazan economy" by upskilling local workers, particularly in security roles.
(This is Part 1 of a deep dive into UG Solutions' operations. The second part will be published on Sunday)
