On Thursday, the Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel was left with shattered glass and debris scattered across its floors after being struck by a missile launched from Iran, injuring dozens of people. This major hospital, which provides care for approximately one million residents in the region, suffered significant damage. Several wards were completely destroyed, with rubble spilling out into the parking lot and nearby walkways.
Nissim Huri, who was working in the kitchen at the time, described the moment as unlike anything previously experienced. Taking shelter in a concrete bunker during the attack, Huri called the aftermath “complete destruction” and recalled the event as terrifying.
In response to escalating tensions, Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iran on Friday, labeling the operation as a preemptive effort to prevent Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons development—a claim Iran denies. Iran retaliated by launching its own counterattacks against Israel.
Hospital personnel recounted how the blast was so forceful it knocked them off their feet. Later that day, staff gathered in the hospital courtyard, watching videos showing towering smoke clouds rising from the scene.
According to Israel’s Health Ministry, 71 people were injured in the strike, most with minor wounds or panic-induced symptoms as they rushed to find safety. Hospital workers evacuated patients and restricted access to damaged areas.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed their missile targeted Israeli military and intelligence installations near the hospital, but an Israeli military official denied any military sites were close by.
In the days leading up to the strike, the hospital had begun relocating patients from certain buildings as a precaution and limited new admissions to critical cases only. Those inside the affected building were moved to an underground shelter just hours before the missile impact, the Health Ministry confirmed.
Medical transporter Yogev Vizman, who arrived shortly after the explosion, described the scene as one of “total destruction,” with the entire building engulfed in flames and collapsed. He expressed deep sadness, saying, “This is like my home. They simply destroyed our home. I never imagined a hospital would be directly hit.”
Israeli military search and rescue teams combed through the damaged structures to ensure no one remained trapped inside. One soldier described seeing only thick black smoke upon arrival and thoroughly checking every floor for casualties, adding, “It’s a blessing that the area had been evacuated the night before.”
