Haifa, Israel - October 09, 2024

A makeshift underground hospital set up in the northern Israeli city of Haifa is said to be well-equipped to deal with a potential influx of patients should the situation between Israel and Lebanon continue to spiral out of control.

As tensions have flared in recent weeks with the Israeli military carrying out an extensive air campaign in Lebanon, the city of Haifa has also been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones launched from the Lebanese side by Hezbollah.

During a visit to Haifa on Wednesday, a reporter from China Central Television (CCTV) stopped by the makeshift medical facility which has been established on the site of the Rambam Medical Center.

The center excavated this bunker after the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006, and while it usually serves as a multi-storey car park, it has now been converted into what officials say is the largest underground field hospital in the world.

According to the hospital's director, the facility, which is located 16 meters below sea level, houses nearly 2,000 beds while its walls are thick enough to withstand various rocket and missile attacks.

It is also fully equipped with all the necessary facilities for a completely functioning ward, including a sufficient power supply for all instruments, oxygen tanks, and other essential equipment, as well as emergency buttons.

Just a few days ago, the hospital saw almost all of its beds occupied due to the escalation of the situation, when several local hospitals, lacking adequate security measures, transferred many patients here to receive medical attention. Those patients have now been sent back to their original hospitals for further treatment.

The well-equipped hospital shows Israel's efficient medical preparedness for war, starkly contrasting with the dire situation seen in the Gaza Strip, according to the CCTV reporter.

About 70 percent of the small to medium-sized medical clinics in Gaza are currently at a standstill, while more than half of the larger medical facilities are not operational. Only a few hospitals are able to continue functioning with the tenuous support of international relief organizations, the reporter said.

Since October last year, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been exchanging fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border, stoking fears of a wider conflict as the war between Hamas and Israel continues in Gaza.

Shotlist:
Haifa, Israel - Oct 9, 2024:
1. Exterior of Rambam Health Care Campus;
2. Various of ambulances;
3. People, staff walking outside medical facility;
4. Various of beds, facilities in makeshift underground hospital.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]