As Israel-Hezbollah tensions rise, hospitals in the Galilee and beyond are bracing for expanded war and casualties, with fortified areas, AI, and studies from previous war providing security and guidance.
“The emergency is in our DNA. From our underground facilities to advanced AI systems, we are equipped to handle the worst,” Dr. Tsvi Sheleg, deputy director general of Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, told The Press Service of Israel. Located just nine kilometers from the Lebanon border, the hospital is Israel’s closest medical center to any border.
The hospital was the first one in the country to develop extensive underground facilities to ensure uninterrupted medical care during attacks. These include 450 protected monitoring places connected by tunnels, allowing safe movement and treatment. The hospital’s emergency room and other critical sites are shielded, enabling staff to continue working even during missile strikes.
“No one thought that we should build underground hospitalization facilities,” Sheleg explained. “But [former director-general Shaul] Shasha said, ‘I will build it.’ During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, because of this, my life and the lives of 15 other people were saved, as the direct missile that struck the department would have endangered our lives.”