Up to 30 Iranian missiles were launched at Soroka Hospital, the Bursa in Ramat Gan, Holon and other areas across the country.
By Rachel Avraham
The IDF identified on Thursday morning at 7:03 a.m. that between 20 and 30 missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, this is the largest barrage launched from Iran in the past 48 hours. Arutz Sheva reported that there are reports of at least seven impact sites, including three in Gush Dan and one at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, which sustained a direct hit. At the Ramat Gan strike, at least 20 buildings were damaged by the blast, Arutz Sheva noted.
The street outside the Bursa — the Diamond Exchange District in Ramat Gan just bordering Tel Aviv — was cloaked in gray dust and the acrid smell of smoke on Thursday morning, the Times of Israel reported. According to the report, Emergency crews picked their way through broken glass, charred debris and the hollowed-out shell of a residential building that hours earlier had taken a direct missile hit. The Times of Israel reported that the entire front of the structure had been torn open, exposing what remained of the lobby and lower-floor apartments.
The Iranian assault injured 56 people across multiple locations with at least six sustaining severe injuries, Israel Hayom reported. In Holon, 10 individuals were wounded – three with severe injuries, one with moderate wounds, and seven with minor injuries, Israel Hayom added, after the Times of Israel reported that an entire residential block was reduced to rubble. Ramat Gan reported 23 lightly injured residents, while in Tel Aviv, one person was evacuated with minor injuries after a fire ignited at an impact site, Israel Hayom stressed.
According to the report, Soroka Hospital in Beersheba endured a severe direct hit, with extensive damage reported across the medical complex. For Israelis, this was a grave incident, as Soroka Hospital was the most important hospital serving the Negev region and was famous across the globe for its medical research. Israel Hayom noted that the hospital’s spokesperson confirmed that the strike damaged the exterior of the Soroka Emergency Department and other critical areas. Additionally, Soroka announced that the hospital is closed to activity except for life-saving operations, which now puts the residents of Southern Israel at a major disadvantage when it comes to obtaining medical care.
After the direct hit on the hospital, Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso condemned the Iranian regime: “The missile fired at the Soroka Medical Centre is an act of terror and a crossing of a red line. A war crime by the Iranian regime, carried out deliberately against innocent civilians and medical teams dedicated to saving lives.”
Professor Shlomi Kadosh, Director of the hospital, said: “During the day we will evacuate some of the hospitalized patients. We are treating only life-saving cases. The building was very badly damaged, and there is damage to additional buildings as a result of the blast wave. We have lightly injured individuals. We did not receive a specific warning; we knew what everyone else knew – but we acted according to a structured defense plan. The preparedness proved itself in terms of avoiding casualties.” Indeed, the only reason why there were not mass causalities in Soroka Hospital is because most of the wing that was hit was already evacuated underground in anticipation of a possible strike.
The Health Minister also referred to the actions taken by the Ministry of Health, which likely led to the saving of many civilian lives: “The Ministry of Health prepared in advance, and thanks to the immediate actions we took, a very severe disaster was averted. I call on the public – please, continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command. It saves lives.”
Photo from India Today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPhGAv8rLhE
