Iranian missile strike injures 240 in Israel, four in serious condition

At least 240 people have been injured in Iran’s latest missile attack on Israel, with four reported in serious condition, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.

The majority of the wounded sustained minor injuries, including over 70 people affected at Soroka Medical Centre in Be'er Sheva, where scenes of chaos unfolded as smoke rose above the facility and emergency teams rushed to evacuate patients.

Two physicians from the hospital, speaking anonymously to The Associated Press due to media restrictions, said the missile struck shortly after air raid sirens began wailing. They described hearing a powerful explosion even from within a designated safe room.

Soroka Medical Centre confirmed that the strike mainly hit an old surgical building that had already been evacuated in recent days. Following the impact, the hospital restricted access to only the most critical cases. As one of Israel’s largest medical centres, Soroka houses more than 1,000 beds and serves approximately 1 million residents across southern Israel. No severe injuries were reported as a result of the hospital strike.

In response to the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Iran, declaring, “We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.”

Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in recent days, though most have been intercepted by Israel’s layered air defence system. The network is designed to detect and destroy threats targeting civilian areas and key infrastructure, but Israeli officials admit the system is not foolproof.

Amid escalating tensions, hospitals across Israel have enacted emergency protocols. Many have moved patients — especially those on ventilators or difficult to evacuate quickly — into underground shelters and even converted subterranean parking garages into temporary wards.

Israel’s underground blood bank, a critical component of its emergency infrastructure developed after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, was also activated to bolster the country’s wartime medical readiness.

By Tamilla Hasanova