The shooting may have stopped for now — but the armed U.S. military veterans who once patrolled aid distribution sites in Gaza say they are ready and willing to return to work.

Amid ongoing uncertainty about the future of a controversial, Israel-approved aid distribution scheme, on Monday one of its lead contractors said it will keep working in the region.

The statement from UG Solutions hints at a continued presence for U.S. private military contractors in Gaza, despite pushback from Palestinian political parties and the international aid community.

The firm’s employees, many of them U.S. special forces veterans, have provided security at four aid distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since May. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed along the routes to the foundation’s aid sites under Israel Defense Forces gunfire, according to the United Nations.

“The situation in Gaza may be tenuous for the short to mid-term as the remnants of Hamas and clans vie for control of neighborhoods, cities, and the Gaza Strip as a whole,” a company spokesperson wrote in a statement released Monday. “UG stands ready to continue its work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation or any other international organizations or local nongovernmental organizations that believe that an increased security posture would better protect their staff, aid supplies, and logistics lines.”

Critics said that in addition to violating humanitarian principles by deployed armed guards, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation served as a tool of Israeli policy by forcing Palestinians to make mileslong........

© The Intercept