Ground report: How Israel's Haifa underground health centre acts as wartime shield
Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa operates a fortified underground hospital that can replace its parking structure within hours. The facility has become a marker of Israel's wartime preparedness amid continuing missile and drone attacks.
Beneath the streets of Haifa in northern Israel, far from the sound of air raid sirens and missile interceptions above ground, the Jewish nation has built one of the world’s most extraordinary symbols of wartime resilience.
Designed to function through sustained missile, drone and even chemical attacks, the underground hospital at Rambam Health Care Campus reflects how modern conflict is transforming civilian infrastructure, emergency medicine and national preparedness in a region shaped by near-constant security threats.
Hidden nearly nine metres below sea level, Rambam Health Care Campus operates what is considered the world’s only large-scale underground fortified hospital a massive emergency medical facility that transforms from a three-level parking structure into a fully functional super-speciality hospital within hours.
Built after the lessons learnt during the 2006 Lebanon War, the underground facility was designed over two years and took four years to construct at a cost of nearly USD 120 million.
Spread across three underground floors measuring nearly 20,000 square metres each, the secure medical complex can accommodate up to 2,200 patients during wartime.
The underground hospital is fortified against missile strikes and is also equipped to function in the event of chemical or biological attacks. According to hospital officials, every aspect of the structure was engineered keeping wartime survival in mind.
Situated close to the Mediterranean coast, the construction itself posed a major engineering challenge.
Nursing Director Ravit told India Today TV that the underground facility had to be built by continuously pumping out seawater using nearly 100 pumps every day for almost two years.
Special waterproof construction material was used to ensure that water did not seep into the underground structure.
Since the start of "Operation Rising Lion", the hospital has treated nearly 10,000 civilians injured in missile attacks across Israel.
In addition, 144 Israeli soldiers injured in missile and drone strikes have been brought to the facility for treatment.
At present, around 14 injured soldiers continue to undergo treatment at the hospital.
Hospital officials say drone attacks are now causing some of the most devastating injuries. Unlike previous conflicts where head injuries were more common, doctors are now seeing severe injuries to limbs, leading to multiple amputations of hands and legs among soldiers and civilians alike.
The hospital demonstrated its emergency preparedness when nearly 900 patients were shifted underground within just eight hours after an escalation in hostilities.
Patients from the main hospital building were rapidly relocated to the fortified basement facility, where medical teams resumed treatment operations seamlessly.
Ravit said every worker in the hospital, from doctors and nurses to technical staff, has clearly assigned wartime responsibilities.
The underground complex also includes an obstetric unit and a fully operational daycare centre that accommodates nearly 70 children aged between three months and 12 years.
The facility allows doctors, nurses and caregivers to continue working during prolonged conflicts without worrying about childcare.
"This time we had to remain underground for nearly one and a half months," Ravit said, recalling the intensity of recent attacks.
The hospital currently employs nearly 6,500 nurses and around 2,000 doctors who can continue operating even during sustained missile bombardment.
The facility has become a model for emergency medical preparedness, drawing attention from several conflict-hit nations studying Israel’s wartime healthcare infrastructure.
As wars increasingly involve long-range missiles, drones and attacks on civilian infrastructure, countries across the world are now looking at Israel’s underground hospital model as a possible blueprint for future emergency medical systems.
In a region where sirens and missile interceptions have become routine, Rambam’s underground fortress hospital stands as both a medical lifeline and a reflection of how modern warfare is reshaping civilian preparedness.
Beneath the streets of Haifa in northern Israel, far from the sound of air raid sirens and missile interceptions above ground, the Jewish nation has built one of the world’s most extraordinary symbols of wartime resilience.
Designed to function through sustained missile, drone and even chemical attacks, the underground hospital at Rambam Health Care Campus reflects how modern conflict is transforming civilian infrastructure, emergency medicine and national preparedness in a region shaped by near-constant security threats.
Hidden nearly nine metres below sea level, Rambam Health Care Campus operates what is considered the world’s only large-scale underground fortified hospital a massive emergency medical facility that transforms from a three-level parking structure into a fully functional super-speciality hospital within hours.
Built after the lessons learnt during the 2006 Lebanon War, the underground facility was designed over two years and took four years to construct at a cost of nearly USD 120 million.
Spread across three underground floors measuring nearly 20,000 square metres each, the secure medical complex can accommodate up to 2,200 patients during wartime.
The underground hospital is fortified against missile strikes and is also equipped to function in the event of chemical or biological attacks. According to hospital officials, every aspect of the structure was engineered keeping wartime survival in mind.
Situated close to the Mediterranean coast, the construction itself posed a major engineering challenge.
Nursing Director Ravit told India Today TV that the underground facility had to be built by continuously pumping out seawater using nearly 100 pumps every day for almost two years.
Special waterproof construction material was used to ensure that water did not seep into the underground structure.
Since the start of "Operation Rising Lion", the hospital has treated nearly 10,000 civilians injured in missile attacks across Israel.
In addition, 144 Israeli soldiers injured in missile and drone strikes have been brought to the facility for treatment.
At present, around 14 injured soldiers continue to undergo treatment at the hospital.
Hospital officials say drone attacks are now causing some of the most devastating injuries. Unlike previous conflicts where head injuries were more common, doctors are now seeing severe injuries to limbs, leading to multiple amputations of hands and legs among soldiers and civilians alike.
The hospital demonstrated its emergency preparedness when nearly 900 patients were shifted underground within just eight hours after an escalation in hostilities.
Patients from the main hospital building were rapidly relocated to the fortified basement facility, where medical teams resumed treatment operations seamlessly.
Ravit said every worker in the hospital, from doctors and nurses to technical staff, has clearly assigned wartime responsibilities.
The underground complex also includes an obstetric unit and a fully operational daycare centre that accommodates nearly 70 children aged between three months and 12 years.
The facility allows doctors, nurses and caregivers to continue working during prolonged conflicts without worrying about childcare.
"This time we had to remain underground for nearly one and a half months," Ravit said, recalling the intensity of recent attacks.
The hospital currently employs nearly 6,500 nurses and around 2,000 doctors who can continue operating even during sustained missile bombardment.
The facility has become a model for emergency medical preparedness, drawing attention from several conflict-hit nations studying Israel’s wartime healthcare infrastructure.
As wars increasingly involve long-range missiles, drones and attacks on civilian infrastructure, countries across the world are now looking at Israel’s underground hospital model as a possible blueprint for future emergency medical systems.
In a region where sirens and missile interceptions have become routine, Rambam’s underground fortress hospital stands as both a medical lifeline and a reflection of how modern warfare is reshaping civilian preparedness.
