Description
Dr. Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, Royal College of Defence Studies, and fellow at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies, explains that PMCs are often seen as a middle ground when no country wants to put its troops at risk. “The privatization of security is a major feature of contemporary conflicts,” Krieg said. “PMCs operate globally, providing security, logistics, and maintenance. In this case, their presence offers a compromise—more neutral than Israeli or Arab forces, which neither side would accept.”
However, Krieg warns that this neutrality is fragile and believes Hamas could try to attack the contractors. “These contractors are Americans, and their presence in Gaza will be deeply unpopular among Palestinians,” he explained. “For Israel, it’s preferable to a UN mission that adversaries would likely infiltrate, but for Hamas, they are still foreign operators on their soil.”
Images from Gaza show these contractors equipped with automatic rifles, but their mandate remains defensive. If violence erupts at the checkpoint, they are expected to return fire—but not pursue attackers. “They are not an independent force,” Krieg added. “They operate as an extension of the Israeli presence, with logistical support from the IDF.”
Dr. Krieg also agrees that “the key issue is security governance. Countries discussing security governance in post-Hamas Gaza include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan. However, none of them are willing to deploy their own troops inside Gaza. Even the Egyptians, who might put forces along the Philadelphi Corridor, would not move inside Gaza’s territory itself.”
This presents a significant problem for Israel: if they want to withdraw further from Gaza, they will leave behind a security vacuum. The question of how to fill that vacuum remains unresolved. While private contractors could be part of the solution, Dr. Krieg notes that most PMCs prefer not to operate in dynamic security environments like this one. “Right now, their operation is static. However, the risk would skyrocket if they were tasked with securing convoys or operating in highly volatile areas without IDF backup. Most companies would not take on that kind of contract,” he explained.
Additionally, he emphasized that Hamas would not tolerate a long-term American contractor presence in such roles. “The risks would be high, and not many private military companies offer this kind of counterinsurgency and warfighting,” Dr. Krieg concluded.
| Period | 4 Feb 2025 |
|---|---|
| Held at | The Medialine, Israel |
Keywords
- PMSC
- mercenaries
- Gaza
- Israel