cadoc Security was assigned by an international human rights organization to establish a 24/7 operation center that provides journalists with tactical real-time intelligence and accurate incident reporting during the rapid increase of confrontations between Palestinian protestors and the Israeli Army along the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the organization requested an on-the-ground assessment of the location of the clashes on the Gaza/Israel border in order to provide practical advice for the journalists on the safest course of action while covering the events.
Challenges
- The International human rights organization approached cadoc Security shortly after Gaza’s border protests erupted on 30 March 2018. They requested cadoc Security to set up an operations room in Amman on a last minute call, as well as putting together a protection team to operate within the strip and provide an assessment of specific locations along the border. Moreover, cadoc Security was tasked with the transportation of safety equipment such as helmets and bulletproof vests into the Gaza Strip..
- Providing intelligence and security support is much more complex in this case because the Gaza Strip has been under siege since 2007, where the ongoing land, air, and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip imposed by Israel and Egypt makes it difficult to conduct business, limits the resources, and restricts mobility especially in and out of the strip. Hence, a high level of coordination needed with the UN and the Israeli authorities is required to move equipment and travel in and out of the Gaza Strip. Another issue was that the request came on a last minute call after the clashes erupted.
Solutions
cadoc Security met with the organization’s representatives in Amman and agreed to provide them with the necessary support in order to ensure the security of their journalists and operations. Following our meeting with the organization, cadoc Security coordinated with Israeli authorities, the PA, and international organizations to ensure emergency intervention if needed and allow the transfer of safety equipment to the Gaza Strip. Moreover, per their request, we were able to set an operations room in Amman that coordinated on a high level with the involved human rights organization and multiple governmental entities. The operations room was managing a team of executive protection officers who were on standby in the Gaza Strip. The team’s first task was to provide an initial assessment of the security situation in multiple friction points and advise the journalists on how to mitigate risk. cadoc Security security team provided ongoing assessments as the events unfolded on a weekly basis and assist the journalists when needed.
During the operation, cadoc Security transferred safety equipment from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip upon the organization’s request. Such equipment included vests, helmets, and tracking devices used to track each journalist and provide them with a “panic button” that would notify our security team who’d immediately extract and evacuate them out of harm’s way. In order to mitigate risks for journalists while on the move, they were granted access to our intelligence package through cadoc Security’s mobile application which provides real-time incident reporting and threat level mapping in any given perimeter.
The human right’s organization was highly satisfied with this arrangement since cadoc Security exceeded their expectations in delivering high-quality security and intelligence services. This project was extended for months since the situation in the Gaza Strip kept getting worse. cadoc Security delivered all the necessary security requirements expected from its team and none of the journalists were hurt under their watch
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