Two years on: upgrading the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah

Over the last two years, the Red Cross Field Hospital has been a constant in Gaza's fractured health landscape. It has served as a primary facility for mass-casualty response during periods of intense hostilities, and as a primary-care centre for the steady, quiet suffering and the chronic, everyday health needs that persist. From treating weapon-wounded patients to providing timely obstetric and gynaecological care, the field hospital has offered moments of relief to thousands of people requiring health care in Gaza.

Since opening, the field hospital has facilitated more than 11,300 surgeries, 250,000 consultations, the delivery of more than 1,200 newborn babies, 19,200 physiotherapy sessions and at least 1,500 blood transfusions.

This collective effort has brought together the PRCS, the ICRC and National Societies from Australia, Austria, Canada, China (National Headquarters and Hong Kong branch), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom - each contributing staff, expertise, equipment or support to help sustain health care in Gaza.

The dedicated Red Cross and Red Crescent staff have continued to provide medical care day in and day out, supporting families in distress and accompanying patients along often long and uncertain paths to recovery.

While the October 2025 ceasefire has seen a decrease in emergency and mass-casualty cases involving weapon-wounded patients, safe and sustainable access to health care in Gaza remains critical. Many people requiring advanced care cannot access the support they need. 

Fewer emergency cases mean more time and resources can be directed towards people living with disabilities or chronic conditions, or needing elective surgery, but many still struggle to find the specialised care they require. Basic medical supplies, medicines and advanced medical equipment remain in short supply. 

Every hospital in Gaza has reported damage or destruction since October 2023. In southern Gaza, the Red Cross Field Hospital is one of the few functional hospitals, with its outpatient department serving as the only primary health centre in the Rafah Governorate.

With the ceasefire in effect, the nature of health care needs in Gaza is shifting. Recovery efforts now allow for greater emphasis on follow-up care and the treatment of neglected health conditions. In response, the field hospital is adapting: enhancing outpatient care, improving elective surgical capabilities, and prioritising the safety and well-being of staff and patients. 

It retains the capacity to respond swiftly to a surge in weapon-wounded patients should that be required.

The field hospital was initially designed as a temporary solution. The tent structures were built to last six to twelve months. It has now well exceeded that timespan - because urgent health care needs have persisted and viable health alternatives remain absent. The hospital sits approximately 100 metres from the sea; it is affected over time by salt air, sand, harsh winters, and the difficulty of importing replacement equipment such as tents, generators and water units.

Having already exceeded its originally intended lifespan, the ICRC and partners conducted a reassessment to explore potential future scenarios and adapt to changing circumstances.

The ICRC and our partners believe the field hospital remains a key component of the health response in Gaza. There is an urgent need to refurbish and upgrade those parts of the hospital that are worn, damaged or expired. Based on past and anticipated health needs, and upon request from the authorities, the ICRC and partners have decided to extend the field hospital programme for another two years - until 2027 - and to expand its capacity. This expansion requires replacing existing equipment.

Expanding capacity to 72 beds began in late 2025, carried out in line with infection-control measures. This included expanding the outpatient department, resizing emergency and triage areas, creating new inpatient wards, renovating maternity and paediatric spaces, and increasing laboratory, radiology and blood bank services. 

In May 2026, the ICRC finalised the import of new modules to replace and upgrade the Red Cross Field Hospital. More than 4,300 individual items - arriving on a convoy of at least 25 trucks carrying over 400 pallets - will be used to refurbish parts of the hospital that have worn, been damaged, or expired following two years of operating in challenging circumstances.

We want the Red Cross Field Hospital to provide the best quality care possible. 

Patients and staff will benefit from an improved operating theatre, upgraded emergency and outpatient departments, renovated maternity and paediatric care, reduced overcrowding in wards and improved post-surgical care.