Since December, Israel has undertaken groundwork for what seems to be a development site in east Rafah, within the Israeli military-controlled zone. It sits at the intersection of the Morag and Magen Oz corridors, close to the “yellow line.”

Our analysis of satellite imagery suggests that this area is being prepared for the construction of infrastructure, possibly as part of Phase 2 of Trump’s plan to build so-called “Alternative Safe Communities” to house tens of thousands of “non-Hamas affiliated” Palestinians within the Israeli-controlled area.

The area of interest is half a kilometer into Israel’s area of control, bound by two military corridors, and near the camp of the Israeli-affiliated “Counter-Terrorism Strike Force,” several military outposts, and former GHF sites. This environment suggests supervision and control, rather than humanitarianism.

The area of interest is on the northern edge of the planned “humanitarian city” in Rafah — a “secure” zone intended to concentrate Gaza’s population, that Israeli defense minister Israel Katz announced in July 2025.