An Iranian missile fired at Israel on Thursday struck a large hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, causing serious damage.
The missile strike on the Soroka Medical Center was the first time a hospital was hit since Iran started launching missiles at Israel last week in response to Israel’s attacks on its nuclear infrastructure and senior military leadership.
Photos taken inside the hospital and shared by the Israeli fire and rescue service showed broken glass and ceiling panels scattered on the floor. Shlomi Codish, the director general of the hospital, said that the old surgical building had been directly hit, adding that the departments in the building had been evacuated in recent days.
Mr. Codish said that all patients and medical staff had been in protected spaces when the missile struck the building. The hospital said its emergency department was treating several patients with mild injuries.
The strike on the hospital highlighted how the fighting is endangering civilians in Israel and Iran. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel by Iranian attacks and at least 224 people have been killed in Iran by Israeli strikes since the war started, according to each government.
It also illustrated that while Israel’s air defenses have prevented the overwhelming majority of Iran’s missiles from causing serious damage, some have managed to evade interception systems.
Responding to the hospital strike, the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said Iran was “committing war crimes.” Under international law, it is forbidden to target medical facilities except in rare cases. During its war in Gaza, Israel has been widely condemned for repeatedly raiding and damaging health facilities that it says are used by militants.
Video broadcast on Israeli TV channels showed smoke billowing from the hospital and smoke-filled corridors.
Lia Lapidot contributed reporting to this article.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
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