The hospital in Israel hit by an Iranian missile had babies in it, the nation’s president has revealed. Isaac Herzog revealed that hospital staff had taken the decision to move a critical care unit into a basement hours before the attack which he labelled as “targeted.”
Pulling no punches, Mr Herzog labelled Iran “disgusting and horrendous” following the attack on Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba. He said the missile caused an explosion which sent a mushroom cloud over the complex and left terrified patients cowering in the bunkers they had fortunately been moved to. After visiting the complex, he said: “I was there this morning following the destruction by an Iranian missile – straight to the hospital where people were in treatment.
In an interview with the Sun, he added: “The director general of the hospital decided only last night to remove all the units above ground to underground.
“They would have been killed for sure, because you see the building was totally demolished.
“Glass was strewn all over the place – windows and doors – total devastation, but I went underground and the hospital functions beautifully.”
The hospital is understood to treat two million people a day, with Mr Herzog claiming that the site has treated Palestinians injured in Gaza since the outbreak of war following October 7.
Mr Herzog praised the role of medics in the face of an attack which Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu labelled “a war crime”.
He added: “Professor Mahmoud Abu Shakra, a great Israeli Muslim, was leading the emergency care unit underground.
“That’s Israel for you. We have immense resilience. And we will recover, we will rebuild, and we will move on.
“It shows how cruel the Iranians are – the emergency care units full of babies were there, and this missile was aimed directly at the hospital.
“It was deliberate – we know it because we have intelligence.
“We know that they are carrying out crimes against humanity and war crimes all the time.
“They decided to harass us. They want to drive us crazy, so they send those missiles, but they get us wrong because we are a very strong nation, and we know how exposed they are.
“They are making a huge mistake.”
Mr Herzog defended comparisons with Israel’s attacks on Hamas in Gaza which has seen hospitals hit.
Israel has long argued that Hamas’ use of medical facilities to store ammunition has made them a necessary and legitimate target. Critics have dismissed their claims and also labelled them a war crime.
The attack prompted a furious response from the Israeli government with Defence Minister Israel Katz Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should “no longer be allowed to exist.”