Nahariya Hospital Moves Underground as Northern Fire Escalates

The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya will move operations underground as security tensions intensify in the north and Hezbollah expands its fire toward Israeli communities.

The hospital has operated from protected underground areas in previous rounds of fighting with the Hezbollah terror group, and officials said the move is part of an existing emergency plan rather than an improvised response.

In a message to employees, the hospital director said he had been informed by the Home Front Command that Nahariya, including the medical center, would be classified as an orange zone beginning Sunday morning or afternoon. That classification means the hospital must move into its underground protected complexes.

“We are not surprised, and there is an organized plan that will be activated tomorrow,” the director wrote.

The hospital is expected to begin reducing the number of patients in a controlled and responsible way. Departments will begin moving underground Sunday morning after detailed instructions are issued by management.

Women’s operating rooms are expected to function as usual Sunday, but their use will be canceled starting Monday. A childcare facility for staff will also begin operating Sunday morning at 8 a.m., allowing essential medical teams to continue working during the emergency shift.

The decision comes as Hezbollah continues launching rockets and drones from Lebanon, with northern hospitals preparing for the possibility of broader fighting and heavier fire.

At the same time, Ziv Medical Center in Safed is also preparing to transfer activity to an underground facility. The Home Front Command has not required the move because Safed is not formally classified as being on the confrontation line, but the hospital is preparing nonetheless because of the widening Hezbollah fire and recent rocket launches toward the city.

The preparations in Nahariya and Safed reflect the growing strain on northern Israel’s civilian systems as the fighting in Lebanon expands. Hospitals near the front are now adjusting not only to the threat of direct fire, but also to the possibility of prolonged operations under emergency conditions.