The State Comptroller and Ombudsman, Matanyahu Englman, visited the medical center in Beer-Sheva which suffered a direct hit from an Iranian missile: "The protection discrepancies in the hospitals were raised in my letter to the prime minister as long ago as November 2023"
The State Comptroller and Ombudsman, Matanyahu Englman, visited the Soroka Medical Center campus in Beer-Sheva just a few hours after an Iranian missile exploded in the hospital (19.6.2025). This was another tour in the series of tours conducted by Comptroller Englman and his office's staff in various sites all over the country since the start of Operation Rising Lion against Iran. At the same time, Comptroller Englman instructed the Office of the Ombudsman to expand its activity of the hotline, the helpline for whoever has been badly treated by the public bodies following the state of emergency.
"The protection discrepancies in the hospitals – including Soroka – were raised in my letter to the Prime Minister as long ago as November 2023", said Comptroller Englman. "As a result of this, the Ministry of Health did formulate a plan to deal with the protection discrepancies in the hospitals, in a scope of more than NIS four billion, but in practice the sum allotted totaled 10% of the sum determined by the plan. In recent months my office has been examining the topic of the protection of hospitals in order to identify the protection discrepancies and their implications. The government must act to protect the hospitals, including by means of interim arrangements in light of the current war, as they constitute a critical link for Israeli citizens".
"An integrative party should be appointed". Comptroller Englman at Soroka
The Comptroller noted that "The direct hit at the hospital caused a great deal of destruction. However, an administrative decision of the management of the Ministry of Health and the hospital to reduce the number of patients in the hospital saved lives!"
The State Comptroller emphasized that "Every missile that falls and hits a target sometimes involves, apart from the damage to buildings, the evacuation of a thousand people from their homes. My office's employees are on site in order to assist the populations who have been evacuated from their homes vis-à-vis the government bodies. Up to now, more than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, and we have seen how the government's work is characterized by incompetence, similarly to the treatment of the evacuees from the Gaza Envelope after the murderous attack on October 7. We are unable to content ourselves with a grant of NIS 500 and the activity of the Tax Authority employees at the various sites that were hit".
"I am calling upon the Prime Minister to appoint, alongside managing the military campaign, an integrative party who will manage the handling of the home front in its entirety. A strong home front is essential for the State of Israel".
