The Israel Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday that Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, southern Israel, was directly struck by an Iranian ballistic missile, marking a dangerous escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations.
In an official post on X, the ministry wrote:
“A direct hit has been reported at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel.”
Another post highlighted the hospital’s inclusive care:
“Soroka Hospital in Beersheba – where Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Arab Bedouin receive care – was just hit by an indiscriminate Iranian ballistic missile. Israel will continue to do what must be done to protect all its people, from all walks of life.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the attack as a deliberate targeting of civilians:
“The Iranian regime fired a ballistic missile at a hospital. The Iranian regime deliberately targets civilians. The Iranian regime is committing war crimes. The Iranian regime has no red lines.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry, through the Israel MFA’s post, indirectly reiterated its focus on hostages, saying:
“Amid the rubble caused by the Iranian regime’s missiles, we haven’t forgotten our hostages. Not for a single second. Let them go now.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also claimed a major strategic strike:
“This nuclear reactor in Arak was created for one purpose: to build a nuclear bomb. It has now been neutralized.”
At the scene of the missile strike on Soroka Hospital, President Isaac Herzog stressed that Israel must retaliate forcefully:
“We will rebuild everything. That is a certainty. We will demonstrate resilience, and we will change our destiny—and the destiny of the entire region.”
He emphasized the hospital’s unique role as a place where Jews, Muslims, and people from Gaza and the West Bank receive treatment together, symbolizing a potential peaceful future.
The attack on Soroka Hospital has drawn sharp condemnation internationally, raising concerns over violations of international humanitarian law as the Iran-Israel conflict enters its seventh day with both sides escalating military actions.