ExCIA officer running Gaza aid security advised Boston Consulting Group

Former CIA paramilitary officer Phil Reilly, who heads a private military company that is guarding Israel’s newly set up food distribution sites in Gaza, was a senior advisor at the US consultancy that is the latest partner to withdraw from the controversial aid project.

The Boston Consulting Group admitted last week that it was involved in developing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

It has since halted its involvement and distanced itself as 110 Palestinians have been killed and 583 wounded trying to access aid during GHF's 10 days of operations, according to local officials.

But Reilly's role with BCG, which ended only six months ago, raises questions about whether the consultancy was also involved in developing the security side of the aid operation.

Questions about the firm’s role come as BCG announced on Thursday that it had fired two partners for “unauthorised work” in relation to GHF. 

New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch

Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters

BCG said the partners “failed to disclose the full nature of the work during the client acceptance process” and carried out subsequent unauthorised work in violation of company policies and protocols.

The firm said the subsequent work had "lacked visible multi-lateral support" and that it has engaged outside counsel to investigate its involvement in the project. 

“We deeply regret that in this situation we did not live up to our standards. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to address the issues identified in the ongoing investigation,” the company said.

MEE asked BCG on Friday whether the firm was involved in the security operations to support GHF, what role it had played with the foundation and who had asked the firm to get involved initially. 

BCG directed MEE to its statement from Thursday which did not answer the questions.

Consulting on Gaza

A 29-year veteran of the CIA, Reilly served as a senior advisor at BCG for eight years starting in January 2017, just as US President Donald Trump's first term started, according to his LinkedIn account.

It was early last year, while still holding his advisory role, that Reilly reportedly first began discussing Gaza aid with Israeli civilians in early 2024.

Later in 2024, he worked on a study for Orbis, another US consultancy, which reportedly outlined a plan to outsource food aid delivery to private companies and foundations, the NYT reported.

Reilly's advisory role with BCG ended in December, a month after Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), the private military company now operating in Gaza, was registered in Wyoming, a known US tax haven.

Public records show that SRS’s registered agent, as first reported by All-Source Intelligence, is the Wyoming-based wealth management fund, Two Oceans Trust LLC.

But the public records fail to reveal many more details about SRS, including its funders. It was reported this week that McNally Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm, has an "economic interest" in SRS, although the scale of the interest remains unclear. 

The lack of clarity about funding is also true of GHF which is registered with scant few other details in Delaware, another notorious US tax haven. 

SRS is understood to be the main company currently securing the food distribution sites that are part of Israeli and American moves to take control of aid distribution in the enclave, which have been beset by controversy.

The UN and international aid agencies have sounded the alarm for weeks over concerns that the plans which have unfolded at pace failed to meet humanitarian principles and would encourage forced displacement of Palestinians.

Hours before GHF was to start distributing aid in Gaza late last month, executive director Jake Wood resigned over concerns that it was impossible for the organisation to operate independently or adhere to strict humanitarian principles.

Wood was replaced this week by Johnnie Moore, an evangelical leader who has advised Trump on interfaith issues. Moore has denied reports that Palestinians were killed and injured while seeking aid at GHF's sites in Gaza and said he was demanding results "with Silicon Valley precision".

middleeasteye.net