Strike on Soroka is a serious escalation, Health Minister Uriel Busso tells 'Post' - Amichai Stein

 

by Amichai Stein

"This is a significant event for the state," Busso emphasized regarding the Iranian missile attack on the Soroka Medical Center.

 

Damage at the Soroka hospital following a direct hit from the Iranian missile barrage, June 19, 2025.

(photo credit: ISRAEL FIRE AND RESUCE SERVICES)

 

Israeli Health Minister Uriel Busso stated in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that the Iranian missile strike on the Soroka Medical Center marks a significant escalation in the conflict, standing out from the previous intentional rocket fire by Iran toward populated areas until this point.

The Iranian ballistic missile struck Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba on Thursday morning, causing damage in several areas of the hospital. There were also direct impacts from the missile barrage in various central Israeli cities. 

A total of 89 people were wounded from the impacts across the country, Magen David Adom (MDA) reported. 

"This is a terrorist act deliberately targeting a hospital; it's a red line to attack hospitals that treat women, children, the elderly, and the helpless," Busso told the Post.

"A strike on a hospital that provides aid without distinction of religion is a red line. This is a significant event for the state," Busso emphasized. 

Minister of Health Uriel Busso attends a meeting of the Health care basket committee, in Airport City, near Tel Aviv, February 6, 2025. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

How should Israel respond to Iran after the hospital hit?

In response to the question on how Israel should react to this latest missile barrage, Busso quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said after the Soroka hit that "Israel will exact a heavy price from Iran, and they will pay for what they did."

The minister also told the Post that despite the serious damage to the hospital, it can still function.

"There’s the protected emergency department, and of course, evacuation, and of course, the protected underground wards will continue operating," he explained. 

"But we may need to reduce activity – originally it’s a hospital with 1,000 beds, since the attack, it’s down to 700 beds, and now we’re going to evacuate about another 200–250 patients. Some will be discharged and others transferred to other centers," Busso added. 

A hit to the hospital that could have potentially been far worse

The damage to the hospital could have been more severe, the minister said.

"The building that was hit contains internal medicine wards, intensive care units, and ventilated patients who certainly can't run during a siren. Due to the recent strikes, it was evacuated, and that’s one of the things that saved lives," he explained. 

"The activity of the health system since the beginning of this operation across all hospitals is to make sure the instructions are being followed. I visited the various hospitals to ensure this." One example the minister gave in the interview was the division of roles in hospitals during an alert.

"The fact that the emergency room is in an underground parking garage – we have to make sure the doors are closed, and those actions save lives," Busso said. 

Busso also expressed that this attack underscored the importance of Israel's preparations in advance for attacks. 

"This attack only sharpened the fact that our preparations weren’t in vain," the minister said, adding that in recent hours they have indeed been ensuring that the guidelines given a few days ago are being implemented. "The actions that can save lives are being carried out," he said. 

"The scenario we prepared for over months has materialized, so we need to check that all instructions are followed." 

For many months, the health system conducted various preparations amid fears of attacks on hospitals, which also led to the appointment of specific personnel, such as those responsible for closing pressure doors during alerts. 

"The teams and the health system were prepared, and now unfortunately we are forced to implement what we prepared for," the minister told the Post.

"We will postpone non-life-saving surgeries, discharge patients or mothers earlier if possible, but we won’t compromise on life-saving actions," Busso concluded in his interview. 

"In this case, we didn’t have to use the medical staff for a mass casualty event – there are injured, and every injury is regrettable, but thanks to adherence to the instructions, there are no fatalities and the number of injuries is low," he said. 

Amichai Stein

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-858307

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