Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Palestinians moving by car through two checkpoints in central Gaza were kept “a fair distance” from armed US security contractors at the Netzarim Corridor, sources told The National on Monday.
Photos released earlier this month show that at least one of the checkpoints uses a US-made, portable X-ray scanner brought to the site by the Americans and operated by US contractors. Two US firms and one Arab company are working on the operation.
Netzarim, a strip of devastated land named after an Israeli settlement and recently vacated by Israeli forces as part of a complex ceasefire deal with Hamas, had been turned into a security buffer zone dividing the north and south of the coastal enclave where entire neighbourhoods have been razed. More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardment, mostly civilians, following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023 in which 1,200 people in Israel were killed, also mostly civilians.
The scanner is a state-of-the-art Mobile Vehicle Access Control Inspection System, designed to “efficiently scan for any anomalies, ensure the correct number of passengers are in the vehicle and confirm there is nothing in the cargo that should not be there”, according to a US Air Force description.
What that means in practice, the US Air Force said, was that vehicles could quickly be scanned without the need to inspect them manually.
The scanner appeared in photos on January 27 that purportedly show armed men from private security firm UG Solutions operating the checkpoint and the X-ray machine.
UG Solutions has a basic website, saying very little about the company, although it invites people to apply to “submit information for employment consideration”.
The company has few employees listed online, although Jameson Govoni is listed as the managing partner on LinkedIn. One other employee, Billy Cipriani, is also listed as working for the company on the networking site. After a seven-year stint in the army, leaving in 2005, he had several private-sector roles in the logging industry and selling ice-making machines.
Mr Govoni lists “Special Operations” in the US Army from 2004 to 2015 in his employment history. He is also linked to a company called Sentinel Foundation, set up with another veteran of the special forces, which describes itself as combating child trafficking around the world, having apparently been a success in Haiti. Both companies are based in Davidson, North Carolina.
Sentinel was “the premier at counter trafficking around the world just based on our backgrounds. Everybody’s a former Special Operations Intelligence Analyst,” Mr Govoni told US Reporter in an advertorial article.
UG Solutions’ work follows months of discussion in Washington as to how security might be provided for aid distribution in Gaza, where Israeli soldiers have fired on crowds of civilians crowding to receive food deliveries.
Another company working on the checkpoints is Safe Research Solutions, based in Wyoming. Its founder, Phil Reily, was among the first CIA officers in Afghanistan in 2001 during the US-led invasion to oust the Taliban.
The sight of private security contractors in Gaza has raised concerns among some observers that there is no long-term plan for the enclave’s security or reconstruction.
“It is unclear what function they are actually providing,” says Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser and professor of political science at Columbia University in New York.
“The flow of people to and from northern Gaza seems to be essentially unchecked. In any event, they can't provide security for Gaza and in the vacuum Hamas will reassert it's control over time – and not much time.”
Israel, in turn, says Hamas and other gunmen have been seizing control of some aid deliveries. Israel has been widely accused by aid agencies of drastically slowing down and occasionally stopping aid deliveries to the enclave of 2.3 million people, exacerbating a severe hunger crisis.
“It is critical that the ceasefire continues both so that all the hostages are released and so that humanitarian aid continue to be delivered at large scale for the innocent civilians in Gaza," says Michael Mulroy, who served as Former United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, under the first Donald Trump presidency.
"It is important to point out that the amount of aid into Gaza has increased substantially and that level needs to be maintained to deal with the crisis," he says.
Calls from some governments and politicians to create a multinational peacekeeping force have yet to materialise, while President Donald Trump has hinted at a US “takeover” of the enclave, saying the population could be rehoused elsewhere, while providing few details and saying no US forces would be needed.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Barbie
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
On racial profiling at airports
Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
