A newly announced plan to establish a foreign field hospital in southern Gaza has ignited deep concern among observers and local professionals, who fear the initiative could serve as a tool for external control rather than genuine humanitarian relief. The hospital, set to operate under foreign management in an area currently under Israeli military control, has prompted questions about sovereignty, accountability, and the erosion of Palestinian health institutions.

According to analysts familiar with the arrangement, the project was coordinated directly with Israeli authorities and spearheaded by a Western evangelical organisation whose leadership has long expressed strong political support for Israel. Critics argue that the hospital’s structure and location reveal a troubling imbalance of power, one that risks sidelining Palestinian medical professionals and undermining the independence of Gaza’s already fragile healthcare system.

While plans suggest a potential for limited participation by Palestinian medical staff, this involvement reportedly depends on foreign approval, effectively reducing local institutions to a secondary role. Health experts warn that such arrangements, presented under the guise of humanitarian assistance, could entrench dependency and normalise foreign oversight. They emphasise that real humanitarian work must strengthen, not replace, local capacity and must operate within frameworks that respect national sovereignty.

The growing unease surrounding this project highlights broader fears of humanitarian operations being instrumentalised to reshape Gaza’s post-war reality. Many Palestinians view the initiative as part of a wider strategy to impose a new form of guardianship, one that cloaks political influence in the language of compassion, while further eroding local autonomy and resilience.