By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
Haifa's Bunker Facility Stands Ready Amid Rising Tensions
Rambam Medical Centre excavated this bunker following the Israel Hezbollah war of 2006. Normally serving as a multi story car park, it can be converted into a fully operational hospital in less than three days. The facility has been on standby since the Hamas attacks on October 7 and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
The underground hospital is equipped with over 2,000 beds. In the event of a major attack on Israel, it would accommodate existing patients from the above ground medical center and other nearby hospitals, while also treating injured casualties. The recent killings of Hamas’ political leader Ismael Haniyeh and Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr have heightened the threat of an all-out regional war, and doctors at the facility are prepared for a major attack on Haifa.
“When, when, when is it going to happen? Nobody knows. We talk about it a lot,” says Dr. Avi Weissman, the medical director of the center. He acknowledges the anxiety among staff and residents, hoping any escalation of violence will be brief.
Haifa, with its proximity to Lebanon and vulnerability to Hezbollah’s rockets, is a city accustomed to the constant threat of conflict. From a viewpoint overlooking the city and its bustling port, one can see ships and tankers gliding across the water, as well as the border with Lebanon. Emergency drills are a routine part of life, with school children regularly rehearsing what to do in the event of an attack.
Residents have mixed feelings about the threat. A young couple in the city center likened it to living with a ticking time bomb. “Any minute now it could be an alarm. Will I die? Will I have time to go to my family?” the woman pondered. Others, like Luai, who recently opened a coffee shop, have grown accustomed to the situation. “People are afraid. I’m not afraid,” he said.
In Haifa City Hall, Mayor Yono Yahav, who also led the city during the 2006 war, admits to sleepless nights. In his eighties, Yahav carries the weight of responsibility heavily. “I’m very sad about it,” he said. “There is a fork in the Middle East. The leaders are only concerned with destruction, killing, fighting instead of building.”
Haifa is a "mixed city," where Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews live side by side. This peaceful coexistence makes the current conflict especially painful for its residents. Despite the tension, Mayor Yahav remains hopeful for peace.
As international diplomacy continues, Haifa’s doctors prepare their fortress hospital, holding onto the hope that it will never need to be used.
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