RAFAH, (PIC)
A report by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has raised growing concerns in Gaza over plans by Palestinian companies to take part in UAE-funded reconstruction projects in Rafah while the city remains under Israeli military control.
The report said recent leaks suggested that local companies were preparing to remove rubble in Rafah ahead of building new residential complexes, triggering public anger and suspicions over the nature of the projects and the parties overseeing them.
Rafah has been devastated since Israel launched its assault on the city on May 7, 2024, carrying out airstrikes, artillery attacks and systematic demolitions while forcibly displacing residents and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had fled there from northern Gaza and Gaza City.
Although a ceasefire took effect last October, Rafah has remained under Israeli occupation after Israel refused to withdraw from the city during the first phase of the agreement.
The report pointed to several controversial reconstruction proposals, including a UAE-funded plan known as “New Rafah,” which would reportedly build a residential community of about 100,000 housing units.
Reuters previously reported on an Emirati plan to build housing complexes in Rafah for thousands of displaced Palestinians.
Other proposals, including US-backed plans reportedly linked to Jared Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff, have focused on rebuilding Gaza from Rafah and eastern areas, with critics warning that such projects could reshape Gaza’s demographic reality and confine Palestinians to zones under military control.
Local families and rights groups have warned against any reconstruction carried out without the consent of Rafah’s residents, especially as many bodies remain under the rubble or in graves whose status is still unclear.
Rafah Mayor Ahmed al-Sufi said the municipality had no confirmed information about Palestinian companies working inside the city in coordination with Israel.
He stressed that Rafah remains “occupied and completely isolated,” and that any reconstruction effort would fail without the participation of the city’s residents.
Before the war, Rafah had around 310,000 residents and 35,000 housing units. More than 95% of the city has since been destroyed, including its water, sewage and road infrastructure, according to the mayor.
Mustafa Masoud, owner of the company named in the report, denied carrying out any work inside Rafah, saying the proposed project remains only at the planning stage and cannot begin while Israel occupies the city.