BCG 'paid over $1m' for Gaza maritime aid project
The payment coincided with BCG's involvement in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial project accused of undermining humanitarian principles.
Earlier this month, the FT reported that BCG had signed a multimillion-dollar contract to support GHF's operations, including modelling a plan to "relocate" Palestinians from Gaza.
BCG helped design and run the US- and Israeli-backed effort, which aimed to bypass UN aid coordination and replace it with a new system.
On the maritime aid initiative, BCG worked with Fogbow, a US group led by military veterans, on a Qatar-funded scheme to ship food from Cyprus to Gaza.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Initially advising pro bono, BCG later billed the Geneva-based Maritime Humanitarian Aid Foundation (MHAF), a group established by Fogbow, for work carried out from March 2024 to February 2025.
The plan was eventually overtaken by former US President Joe Biden's decision to build a US floating military pier off the coast of Gaza, launched in May 2024.
BCG's scope included establishing MHAF's Swiss entity, drafting monthly updates for Qatari officials, and assisting in hiring and contractor selection.
The firm said the engagement followed internal protocols.
GHF involvement scandal
The latest revelation comes days after two BCG senior partners resigned following mounting backlash over the firm's role in the GHF project.
The initiative has drawn sharp criticism from UN agencies and humanitarian groups, who say it risks enabling the forced displacement of Palestinians and fails to meet international aid standards.
Palestinian health officials report that over 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces near GHF-run aid centres since they began operations.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the scandal has angered BCG clients and sparked internal dissent, with employees and alumni openly criticising the firm's involvement.
Ex-CIA officer running Gaza aid security advised Boston Consulting Group Read More »
In June, partners Matt Schlueter and Ryan Ordway, who BCG claims "essentially went rogue", were dismissed.
BCG says it ceased work with GHF as soon as leadership became aware of it, and that it was not paid for those efforts.
The firm's connection to GHF reportedly began through a feasibility study commissioned by US security contractor Orbis.
BCG - which counts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu among its alumni - was selected due to its ties with Phil Reilly, a former CIA officer and longtime BCG advisor, as Middle East Eye first reported.
Reilly now heads Safe Reach Solutions, a private firm providing security for GHF aid hubs in Gaza.
The FT also reported that staff from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) were involved in post-war Gaza planning sessions, which included controversial proposals like a "Trump Riviera" resort and financial models originating from BCG.
TBI denied authorship of those materials, saying staff were present "in listening mode".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
29 minutes ago
- Gulf Today
Video: Seven injured in residential building blast in outskirts of Iran's Qom
An explosion at a residential building injured seven people in the Pardisan neighbourhood of Qom city, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported, going on to quote an unnamed source saying it was not the result of any Israeli attack. "Four residential units were damaged in the blast. Initial assessments show that the cause of the incident was a gas leak, and follow-ups are continuing in this regard," the director of Qom's fire department told Fars. The agency said the residents of the building were ordinary citizens. Iran's regional arch-rival Israel has a record of assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists, whom it considers part of a programme that directly threatens Israel. Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. Since the end of a 12-day air war last month between Iran and Israel, in which Israel and the United States attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, several explosions have occurred in Iran, but authorities have not blamed Israel. "People should not worry about rumours (of Israeli attacks). If a hostile action occurs in the country, the news will immediately reach the people and alarm bells will simultaneously be activated in the Occupied Territories," Fars quoted an unnamed Iranian source as saying following the blast in Qom. Reuters
Gulf Today
31 minutes ago
- Gulf Today
Francesca Albanese will make a difference
Francesca Albanese, the Italian human rights lawyer and the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur for Palestine, is the woman of the hour, someone people all over the world can look to for hope and courage. She has laid out a legal framework to show that not just the government of Israel is guilty of acts of genocide and human rights violations in occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), but also all other entities including corporations, non-profit and for-profit organizations are culpable and liable. And she has outlined the evolution of international law in the matter. She has shown passion, courage and lawyerly meticulousness in arguing her point. She writes in her report, entitled 'From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide'. She states her general theoretical thesis, her basic argument: 'The role of corporate entities in sustaining Israel's illegal occupation and ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza is the subject of this investigation, which focuses on how corporate interests underpin Israeli settler-colonial the twofold logic of displacement and replacement aimed at dispossessing and erasing Palestinians from their land.' The reason that the United States and Israel are exploding with anger at Albanese is due to the fact that she hits at the most vulnerable point of Israel, and its arch-ally, the United States: the corporate world. The economic power and the military superiority of Israel and the US is hugely dependent on the support, especially material and financial, that the corporates lend to their governments. That is why, the US has issued sanctions against Albanese. Israel and US would have been livid with anger with Albanese even if she had confined her criticism to the governments of Israel and the US. But she has targeted the Achilles heel of the two countries: the economic and commercial heft of their corporations, without which Israel would not be able to carry its expansionist policy in the West Bank, and its relentless violence against the civilians in Gaza since October 2023. The initial justification of Israel for unleashing violence against Gaza is due to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Albanese is making a broader point. It goes beyond the government, and it points an accusing finger at the big corporations. She reminds the corporates that they cannot escape liability if they support a government and its policies which are gross violations of international law, which involve practice of apartheid, genocide. She reminds the corporates that they cannot pretend that they did not know what was happening. If their business activities help in any way a government in violating human rights. She cites the precedents: 'The post-Holocaust Industrialists' Trial laid the complex groundwork for recognizing the international criminal responsibility of corporate executives for participation in international crimes. By addressing corporate complicity in apartheid, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission helped shape corporate responsibility for human rights violations. Increasing domestic and international litigation signal a growing trend toward corporate accountability.' These are strong precedents in international law. The world has been helplessly witnessing the killing of civilians in Gaza in their thousands over the last two years. The substantial protests came first from South Africa which had moved the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israel's military action in Gaza resulting in death of civilians. Albanese has expanded the scope of the liability of violence against unarmed people from governments to corporations and other entities. This is a politically and economically sensitive issue though it does not directly concern political actors. Albanese displays the passion of an activist against human rights violations, but as a lawyer she is careful to chart the narrow path of how corporations are culpable in political conflict.
Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Qatar: Maritime Transport Affairs records 5,042 transactions during Q2 of 2025
Qatar - The Maritime Transport Affairs at the Ministry of Transport (MoT) recorded 5,042 transactions during the second quarter of 2025, according to an X post by the ministry. These covered maritime vessels' main services, including issuance and accreditation of certificates of competency for safe manning, naval architect and marine officer. Also, services were provided for maritime vessels' ownership transfer, renewal and registration. Data monitoring and renewal services were extended for foreign vessels engaged in operations in Qatar waters. The MoT is providing various services to small and large vessels in order to develop the maritime transport sector. They are also designed to facilitate operations and procedures, and to keep pace with technological advancements through the automation of all ship services. The various services are provided through integration with MoT's national documentation and archiving system to ensure business procedures are facilitated and completed through the mobile app or portal. © Gulf Times Newspaper 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
