Hamas government authorises first private security firm in Gaza

For the first time in the Gaza Strip, the ruling Hamas government has authorised a bodyguard company similar to the private security companies in other Arab countries and in the West Bank. It is permitting the young team working with the police to carry light arms.

Muscular young men were seen wearing uniforms and dark sunglasses as they escorted the Palestinian singer Mohamed Assaf, who has become famous for winning Arab Idol, during a visit to his hometown in Gaza one week ago.

The young men, who were trying to keep the artist’s fans away, accompanied Assaf in all his visits. Some of them stood next to him, while others were deployed in the environs as he visited his former college where he received an education before his fame.

The firm, named Secure Land, was not known before Assaf’s most recent return to the Gaza Strip. After winning the Arab Idol competition last year, the Palestinian star had entered Gaza under heavy guard from police crews working for Hamas because of the huge crowds of young people who went to meet him at the Rafah border crossing and at his home. At that time, he could not reach his house and stayed in a hotel in Gaza instead.

Since then, the Ministry of Interior in Gaza issued the new security company a license to operate. Now it can provide young bodyguards trained to provide personal protection to any public figure in Gaza as well as to visitors, institutions and companies.

The new private security firm chooses their guards based on their physical strength. It was noted that they are well trained in martial arts, in addition to weightlifting. They also receive training in shooting and using knives.

Before joining the company, the young men are required to obtain a “good conduct” certificate from the Hamas government. Furthermore, they are required to pass intensive training courses that run for months.

The company’s members carry walkie-talkies. In addition to individuals, they are able to provide security and protection to private enterprises and banks. Lately, with the spread of the company’s name and work, a lot of young men in Gaza have been applying for the new job in the light of the bad economic situation in the Strip.

However, it is unclear whether the conditions in the Gaza Strip will provide fertile ground for the company to flourish, especially considering that the Strip does not attract many important visitors who need guarding arrangements. Aid agencies such as UNRWA already provide guard crews to escort their foreign VIP employees in the Gaza Strip.

Source: Rai Al-Youm