'Just yesterday the building was evacuated, it was a miracle': Testimonies from impact sites across the country

Soroka Hospital in Beersheva was hit during the missile barrage from Iran on Thursday morning, which included between 20 and 30 launches, causing heavy damage to the facility.

One of the doctors at the hospital told Kan News, “Just yesterday, they evacuated the old surgical building, which took a direct hit. It’s a huge miracle.”

Other impact sites were reported in Ramat Gan and Holon, with at least 130 injured, including six in serious condition.

Sarah Bushari, a volunteer at Soroka Hospital, recounted the dramatic moments of the impact: “We heard an explosion, we thought it was right inside the ward. Everything broke – glass, ceilings – everything just collapsed. Luckily, no patients were hurt, even though glass shattered onto their beds.”

“We tried to evacuate everyone quickly, the evacuation went smoothly and flawlessly. It was a miracle from heaven,” Sarah continued, describing what she felt in those moments: “I wasn’t afraid because I’ve lived through all the wars in this country, from the end of the War of Independence until today. I’ve gotten used to the missiles in Beersheva – it’s nothing new. The Iranians are targeting the most ‘valuable’ places – whether it’s hospitals or army bases. The places that matter most to the country.”

Assaf Acker, head of the Orthopedic Trauma Unit at Soroka, told Kan Reshet Bet, “We evacuated the less protected wards – and that’s exactly where the missile hit. Most of the patients were already in protected areas beforehand.”

“There is widespread structural damage, and many infrastructures will need repairs. We reduced the hospital’s occupancy to the minimum required according to the Ministry of Health’s guidelines – and that turned out to be a wise move. There were no physical injuries,” he added.

The Soroka spokesperson stated, “There are no serious injuries among patients or staff – only minor injuries and cases of anxiety. The medical center is currently closed to new patients, except for life-threatening emergencies. The medical, nursing, logistics, and security teams are working with responsibility and dedication to continue treating the injured and maintain essential operations. The internal medicine building has been evacuated, and teams are preparing to redistribute patients, transfer them to other hospitals, and conduct early discharges.”

The hospital advised the public to avoid coming unless it was absolutely essential.

The destruction at the impact site in Ramat Gan was no less severe. Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen said the strike occurred just meters from a kindergarten, saying, “A great miracle happened to us this morning.”

Shama-Hacohen called for stricter Home Front Command guidelines: “We told anyone who approached us on Thursday asking to reopen schools and the economy: over my dead body will the education system reopen, as long as the circumstances don’t change. As long as there are barrages of dozens of missiles with half-ton warheads or more – it’s a life-threatening risk to bring children back.”

“The government is doing excellent work in Iran and Yemen, but we understand better than they do what’s right to do in Ramat Gan,” the mayor added.

The building in Holon was completely destroyed – and the surrounding area also suffered heavy damage from the strikes. While the wounded and local residents have been evacuated, a police spokesperson told Kan News that the event is far from over.

A significant presence of Israel Police and Border Police forces continues to gather at the site. Upon arriving at the scene, the police commissioner stated, “We are here to ensure that no scum comes to loot the homes of evacuees.”

The heavy barrages come less than 24 hours after the Home Front Command updated its defense policy and introduced a series of relaxations – less than a week after the outbreak of war with Iran.

The IDF announced an easing of restrictions, including a return to work in protected facilities and the allowance of gatherings in designated areas. The variation in permitted gathering sizes across different areas is due to the fact that missile strikes are not affecting all parts of the country equally.

Despite the large number of launches from Iran into Israeli territory, the number of casualties is significantly lower – by dozens of percentage points – than what Israel's security establishment had predicted before the missile attacks began.