Amid ongoing hostilities and a severe humanitarian crisis, plans to establish a large medical facility in Rafah have sparked alarm. The project, located in an area under complete military oversight, raises profound questions about its purpose, governance, and potential impact on those it is meant to serve. Observers have expressed unease about the absence of transparent information on the facility’s objectives, sources of funding, and the mechanisms that would guarantee patient protection.

Reports indicate the facility will offer dozens of beds and involve medical personnel from abroad, with efforts to recruit local staff under specific conditions. While framed as a humanitarian endeavour, the initiative is unfolding in a context where medical infrastructure has been decimated, and access to care is heavily restricted. This has led to fears that the facility could be used as a means of exerting control, influencing patient movements, or gathering intelligence, rather than as a purely neutral space for medical care.

Humanitarian observers stress that in a besieged area under full military control, a medical facility cannot be considered independent without strong safeguards. They call for thorough scrutiny to ensure such projects remain true to their stated purpose. The concern is that without oversight, what is presented as relief risks becoming another instrument in the broader strategy of domination and restriction of essential services.