In the midst of a large missile attack fired by Iran, hospitals in Israel have relocated critical wards to basement parking facilities and converted them into emergency medical centers. The action is part of a national readiness plan as tensions in the region increased.
Iran Fires Missile Barrage, Iron Dome Intercepts Most
On Friday night, Iran launched a heavy missile barrage and drones towards Israel, including the capital Tel Aviv. The majority of the threats were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. One missile, however, hit a residential building in Tel Aviv, killing three individuals and injuring at least 20 others.
Hospitals Shift Operations Underground
Acting quickly to the attack, hospitals in Israel set off emergency procedures and started evacuating patients to secure shelters. Reuters visuals report that temporary hospital wards were set up in basement car parks, which were intended to protect patients and hospital staff from further attack.
ICU buses were employed to move patients to below-ground facilities at the peak of the late-night onslaught. The mobile units were key in protecting vulnerable patients.
Hospital Operations in Crisis Mode
Hospitals across the country went into full emergency mode following the attack. At around 3 am local time, air raid sirens blared across Israel. This led to swift action by hospital directors, who deployed staff, released stable patients, and shifted others into safety underground.
A Sheba Medical Centre spokesman outlined the response:
“They are relocating them to the underground building that we already have under the maternity wing,” said the spokesperson. The hospital continued relocating patients to safe zones throughout the day, such as from the orthopaedic and cardiac wards.
Step by step, phase by phase, the hospital is being relocated underground,” said the spokesperson. “The general intensive care unit has already been shielded, as has the operating room, and the hospital keeps running normally.”
Nationwide Mobilisation Includes Northern and Southern Regions
Hospitals along Israel’s northern borders to the south agreed to follow suit. The Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa closed its underground parking lot to vehicles and transformed it into a patient-ready bunker. Even with the change, their emergency room stayed fully functional, Ynet News said.
Public notices have instructed citizens to stay away from hospitals unless having medical emergencies. Appointments and ambulatory services have been halted.
Ohad Hochman, director of Bnai Zion Medical Centre, cautioned:
“The public is asked not to come to the hospital unless it is a medical emergency.”
Readiness for Escalation Continues
As the situation remains unpredictable, Israeli government and medical centers keep themselves on standby for more escalation from Iran or its regional proxies. The swift shift of hospital operations indicates the gravity with which Israel is treating the elevated threat level.
The transformation of parking lots into safe medical shelters is a show of the country’s willingness to protect lives during one of the most perilous flashpoints in years.