REPORTAGE – This large industrial city fears that tensions with the Shiite militia on the border with Lebanon will escalate. It is preparing for the worst.
Special envoy to Haifa
At 9 meters under the sea, level – 3, the Rambam hospital parking lot is ready to accommodate hundreds of patients. A blanket is folded on each medical bed; each is connected to the air, electricity and oxygen network. Showers and toilets have been installed; the pediatric area stands out, with its pastel tones; on the partitions, photos of flowers; the command room is operational, computers on and giant screens relaying all the information necessary to manage this 1,100-bed hospital which, in the event of a crisis, will be able to double its capacity in a few hours.
Only the markings on the ground remind us that this immense space – 20,000 square metres – was once a car park. « We are ready », asserts, confidently, Michael Halberthal, the general director of this hospital, the largest in the north of Israel. He doesn’t need to specify what: here, in Haifa, the possibility of war with Hezbollah is on everyone’s minds…
This article is reserved for subscribers. You have 85% left to discover.
Flash sale
€1 per month for 3 months. No commitment.
Already subscribed? Log in
