After the Blast: Soroka Hospital Struggles to Care Amid the Rubble
- IMFoC
- Jul 17, 2025
- 3 min read
Just weeks after a direct Iranian missile strike, Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, Israel, is operating in survival mode. As the only major hospital serving the Negev region, home to over a million people, Soroka is not just fighting to rebuild; it's fighting to keep going.
The northern surgical tower, once a hub of critical care and advanced medicine, was struck directly in the April attack. Eight of the hospital's 19 operating rooms were destroyed, including entire departments such as ENT, ophthalmology, urology, and pediatric surgery. The 5th and 6th floors—home to key surgical services and groundbreaking research labs—were reduced to rubble. The hospital lost not only its physical infrastructure but also millions of dollars' worth of essential medical equipment, including ventilators, medications, specialized surgical devices, and highly sensitive rehabilitation tools.
Dr. Tzachi Slutsky, Soroka's Deputy Director, captured the gravity of the crisis when he said:
"I wouldn't hospitalize my mother here today in this situation."
With hundreds of beds lost, and winter approaching—a season known to overwhelm hospitals even under normal conditions—Soroka is in a race against time.
In response to the destruction, hospital staff have transformed underground storage areas, training rooms, and family dining spaces into makeshift medical wards. Thin curtains separate beds with barely three feet between them. Showers don't exist, and working toilets are in short supply. Despite the appalling conditions, patients continue to arrive. Emergency surgeries proceed around the clock in converted gynecology operating rooms. Medical staff, with no offices or resources, keep showing up—because they are the Negev's only lifeline.
This crisis isn't only about buildings. The hospital's rehabilitation department, which has treated hundreds of wounded civilians and soldiers since the October 7 attacks, was completely destroyed. Recovery spaces where survivors like Alma Avraham once danced in triumph after returning from Hamas captivity now lie in ruins. To restore even basic services, Soroka is now leasing temporary space to resume urgent rehabilitation care.
The financial cost of rebuilding Soroka's infrastructure is staggering. Israel's Tax Authority estimates that structural repair alone will cost $54–82 million, but that doesn't even begin to cover the cost of replacing the lost medical equipment. Hospital officials estimate that a full recovery—including the construction of a new fortified inpatient tower—could cost upwards of $270 million.
And yet, despite the scale of this crisis, the government's response remains limited. Much of the burden has fallen to private donors and philanthropic organizations.
This is where the Israel Magen Fund of Canada (IMFoC) is stepping in. Through the generosity of its donors, IMFoC is proud to support Soroka Medical Center by funding the purchase of urgently needed medical equipment. Our commitment ensures that the hospital can continue to serve its community with dignity and life-saving care, despite working in what doctors describe as "hell's basement."
But more support is needed. The hospital's needs are immediate and wide-ranging: infant ventilator systems, resuscitation stations, open incubators, diagnostic imaging equipment, and mobile surgery tools—all destroyed in the bombing—must be replaced as soon as possible.
IMFoC is working directly with Soroka Hospital leadership to identify equipment priorities and deliver help where it matters most. Your donation to IMFoC directly supports this mission—replacing damaged equipment, restoring dignity to patients, and helping Soroka rise from the rubble stronger than ever.
Together, we can ensure that Soroka does not stand alone in this moment of crisis. Let's help rebuild not just a hospital, but a beacon of hope for an entire region.
