The Israeli military estimates that within two months, the IDF will have taken control of 75 percent of the Gaza Strip, concentrating around two million Palestinians into three main areas: Gaza City, the central refugee camps, and the al-Mawasi zone.

But one detail raised eyebrows among humanitarian groups active in the region: the name of the company, Safe Reach Solutions [SRS] – an entity unknown to all veteran actors in the aid sector, and with no apparent experience in humanitarian logistics.

To this day, it's unclear who the Americans behind the company really are

An investigation by Haaretz reveals that even senior current and former Israeli defense officials were taken aback by the selection of the unknown company. Surprised – but not shocked.

'They don't look like humanitarians': Who are the opaque U.S. military contractors hired to guard the new Gaza aid project?

SRS was chosen through a secretive, noncompetitive process that bypassed the usual government channels – including the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the agency responsible for aid into Gaza so far.

As it turns out, the IDF and the Defense Ministry were completely excluded from the process of selecting the company, which was handled by Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military secretary.

Follow the money
Kahana estimates the six-month project could be worth $200 million, a staggering sum given the opacity surrounding Orbis and SRS. Defense officials say they still don't know who really owns or operates the companies, or how they're financed. "To this day, it's unclear who the Americans behind the company really are, or who they met with in Israel," says a senior security official involved in the planning.

'They Don't Look Like Humanitarians': Who Are the Opaque U.S. Military Contractors Hired to Guard the New Gaza Aid Project?

Very little is known about the private companies contracted by the new Gaza Humanitarian Fund, staffed by former CIA, Blackwater and U.S. military personnel, from their funding to their rules of engagement. 'This scheme,' says one expert, 'is simply a way to corral Palestinians into a smaller piece of land'