Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

Israel’s Underground Hospital On Standby Against Haifa Attacks

POSTED ON August 7, 2024 •   World      BY Benedicta Bassey
Israel’s Underground Hospital /Photo credit: NPR

Israel's underground hospital medical professionals are at work in a parking lot in Haifa on standby against any attack, northern Israel Reuters report.

Deep under the northern Israeli city of Haifa, there’s a vast underground hospital. Hundreds and hundreds of beds are lined up within its concrete walls.

There are operating theatres, a maternity ward, and medical supplies stacked up in corners. But there are no patients yet.
Rambam Medical Centre excavated this bunker after the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006.

It’s normally a multi-storey car park but it can be converted into a hospital in less than three days.

It’s been on standby since shortly after the Hamas attacks of 7 October and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.

The facility has more than 2,000 beds. In the event of a major attack on Israel, it would take in existing patients from the overground medical centre and other nearby hospitals. And there’s room too to treat injured casualties.

As the threat of an all-out regional war looms large following the killing of Hamas’ political leader Ismael Haniyeh and Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr last week, doctors say they’re prepared for a major attack on Haifa.

"When, when, when is it going to happen? Nobody knows. We talk about it a lot," says Dr Avi Weissman, the medical director of the centre.

People, he adds, are anxious. He and his staff just hope that any escalation of violence doesn’t last long.

Dr Weissman says the threat of an attack preoccupies the minds of staff at the hospital

But Haifa’s proximity to Lebanon – and Hezbollah’s rockets – leaves it vulnerable.

One young couple met in the city centre described living with that threat.

"It’s like a ticking timebomb," says the woman. "Any minute now it could be an alarm. Will I die? Will I have time to go to my family?"

But in Haifa City Hall, a mayor admits to sleepless nights. Yono Yahav is in his eighties and the weight of responsibility hoods his eyes. He also ran the city during the 2006 war.

"I’m very sad about it," he said. "There is a fork in the Middle East. The leaders are only concerned with destruction, killing, fighting instead of building."

Haifa is a so-called "mixed city"; a place where a significant number of Israeli Arabs live alongside Israeli Jews. Mr Yahav says it’s a peaceful community, which makes the current conflict all the more painful.

READ ALSO
Tinubu lauds ECOWAS for regional integration, economic progress at golden jubilee
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 23, 2025 0

President Bola Tinubu has praised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for promoti...

READ ALSO
Trade Wars Take Center Stage at IM ,World Bank Spring Meetings
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 22, 2025 0

Global finance leaders are convening in Washington this week for the semi-annual meetings of the Int...

READ ALSO
Tinubu mourns Passing of Pope Francis: A Voice for the Voiceless
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 21, 2025 0

President Bola Tinubu has expressed his condolences alongside global leaders over the death of Mario...

READ ALSO
Timeless Legacies: Top 10 ancient civilizations that shaped the modern world
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 19, 2025 0

Ancient civilizations laid the foundation for modern society, contributing to everything from govern...

READ ALSO
WTO warns of global trade decline amid U.S. tariffs
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 17, 2025 0

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has issued a warning that global trade could decrease this year a...

READ ALSO
Boosting Trade: Tinubu's commitment to regional integration with ECOWAS tariff signing
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 15, 2025 0

Reinforcing Nigeria's commitment to expanding regional trade, President Bola Tinubu signed the Econo...

READ ALSO
ECOWAS advocates for unified investment strategies to navigate global economic challenges
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 15, 2025 0

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged its member nations to enhance their...

READ ALSO
General Brice Secures 90% of Victory in Gabon's Presidential Election
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 14, 2025 0

General Brice Oligui Nguema, the military ruler of Gabon, has emerged victorious in Saturday’s...

OUR CHANNELS:

FG urges IMF, World Bank to bolster economic reforms in sub-saharan Africa
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 24, 2025 0

Finance Minister Wale Edun has emphasized the need for increased global assistance to reform economi...


LASG short 66,000 healthcare practitioners, threat to quality services delivery
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 24, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - The Lagos State Government is grappling with a significant shortage of medical prac...


Pope Francis to be buried April 26
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 24, 2025 0

Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced Tuesday, as world leade...


2face get appointment as technical adviser to Benue Govt.
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 25, 2025 0

The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia    has appointed music legend, Innocent Idibia...


Nigeria's Economic Reforms Boost Sovereign Credit Profile - IMF
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 23, 2025 0

The Assistant Director for Global Markets at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Jason Wu,  ...


Six dead in Okene Accident: Akpoti-Uduaghan Urges Immediate Road Safety Reforms
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 23, 2025 0

KOGI, Nigeria - Following a tragic auto accident in Okene, Kogi State, which resulted in the loss of...


Plateau NBA expresses outrage over violence, urges FG to protect citizens
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 23, 2025 0

PLATEAU, Nigeria - Due to the assaults and homicides occurring in Plateau State by alleged Fulani mi...


LASG reports over 517,000 traffic violations amid enhanced road safety measures
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 24, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - The Lagos State Government on Tuesday revealed that from May 2024 to March 2025, mo...


Police Inspector Dies by Suicide in Port Harcourt
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 24, 2025 0

RIVERS, Nigeria - A Police Inspector identified as Maxwell Zabu, who was attached to a former Chairm...


Tinubu lauds ECOWAS for regional integration, economic progress at golden jubilee
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 23, 2025 0

President Bola Tinubu has praised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for promoti...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu