Rushing Newborns into a Fortified Hospital: Portrait of a Nation at War

Hezbollah fired 85 rockets at the Haifa area this morning, wounding three and causing a teenager to die in a car crash when the sirens went off. Hezbollah, as always proud of itself for unprovoked attacks on a sovereign state (except when they’re whining like toddlers about exploding pagers) announced that they were targeting a defense firm. Problem is, their aim isn’t so good, so they ended up committing war crimes by hitting civilian areas. People seem to have forgotten that randomly bombing civilian populations is a violation of international law.

Rockets exploded near Haifa’s Bnai Zion Medical Center. The attack led staff to quickly move hundreds of patients into a fortified area of the hospital. This process, shown in the photo, included rushing newborns, the elderly, and injured IDF soldiers out of harm’s way.

This is what most people don’t see when they hear about the attacks on the north of Israel. Life must go on. The sick must be cared for—and protected. And, just as apartments in Israel have a mammad, a bomb shelter, so too does Bnai Zion. Except, it’s a whole hospital that can function safely during a missile attack.

Staff scrambled to evacuate elderly patients to the fortified area of Haifa’s Bnai Zion Medical Center during rocket attacks by Hezbollah (Photo: Bnai Zion Medical Center)

The whole scene is a reminder of what Israel has had to do as it faces genocidal adversaries on multiple fronts. They’ve had to engineer multiple aspects of their society so the country can function in wartime. This is not a burden that most countries face. Does New York have a hospital capable of caring for its patients during a missile attack? I doubt anyone ever thought about that. In Israel, it’s built into daily life.

So is preparing for casualties of war. Bnai Zion was designated by the Ministry of Health to be one of the two official rehab centers receiving the IDF’s wounded.

In recognition of Bnai Zion’s role in caring for soldiers injured in the war, Minister of Health Uriel Menachem Buso just visited the facility. Dr. Ohad Hochman, Bnai Zion’s CEO, remarked. “It was an honor to host Minister Buso and receive his support during this challenging period. Thanks to our dedicated staff, Bnai Zion Medical Center remains fully equipped to uphold our exceptional standard of care, even in these difficult times, with first-class treatments in our fortified Units.”

Hochman added, “However, as we face increasing demand, the continued support from the Ministry of Health, Minister Buso, and our incredible Friends of Bnai Zion is more critical than ever to ensure we can meet the growing needs of our patients.”

Bnai Zion’s impressive planning and response to the threat from the North is a great example of Israel’s resilience and durability. Life is not easy for people there, however. We should keep that in mind as we form our views on the war and how Israel should be fighting.