Cross‐Border Health Governance in Collapse: The Case for Buffer Health Corridors in the Gaza Strip

Muhammad Hamza Shah and Bilal Irfan

International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 2025, vol. 40, issue 6, 1356-1358

Abstract: The collapse of Gaza's health system has rendered traditional models of health planning and humanitarian coordination functionally obsolete. With fewer than half of Gaza's hospitals partially operational and over 90% of health infrastructure damaged or destroyed, the territory is no longer capable of delivering essential services such as dialysis, obstetric care, or oncology treatment. This letter argues that a permanent, internationally managed cross‐border health corridor–anchored via the Rafah crossing–offers a feasible and urgent solution to provide structured, rights‐based care amid systemic collapse. Drawing on precedents from Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and global humanitarian law, we outline the legal, operational, and political frameworks necessary to establish such a corridor. The corridor model is presented as not only a response to Gaza's immediate crisis but also a replicable framework for other protracted conflict zones where national health systems have irreversibly failed.

Date: 2025
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