Emergency preparations are underway after a deal to free the 48 hostages remaining in Gaza and eventually end the Israel-Hamas War was reached early Thursday morning.
At the start of the war, all major hospitals in Israel established dedicated wards for the reception of returning hostages, in coordination with the Health Ministry, the IDF, and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
According to the plan, hostages will be distributed among hospitals based on their medical condition, age, and location, while also considering family requests. The goal is to ensure optimal medical care, emotional rehabilitation, and maximum privacy.
Under the approved operational model, the hostages will first undergo an initial medical triage to assess the urgency of their condition. Those who are injured or suffer from chronic illnesses will be transferred directly to intensive care or internal medicine departments, while those in stable condition will be admitted to designated wards prepared specifically for their arrival.
Each participating hospital has already prepared spacious, isolated, and fully accessible rooms designed to provide both medical care and full privacy.
Each medical center has established a dedicated hostage ward: a closed sub-department staffed by a multidisciplinary team that includes doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, security personnel, and, when needed, religious support staff. Every room has space for a family member to stay alongside their loved one at all times.
The system’s overall capacity allows each hospital to receive up to ten hostages simultaneously, meaning Israel’s healthcare network is equipped to absorb dozens of people within a few hours without disrupting routine medical operations.
At Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, a special wing has been prepared inside the Safra Children’s Hospital building. The rooms have been redesigned with homelike furniture, thick curtains for privacy, and soft lighting conducive to trauma recovery. Some rooms have double doors to allow staff to enter quietly. The wing also includes psychological treatment rooms, a staff rest area, and a meeting space for families.
At Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus, the hostage ward will be located inside the Schneider Children’s Medical Center building. Double rooms have been constructed with full acoustic insulation to ensure peace and quiet, and a family support center has been established on a separate floor.
At Ichilov Hospital, a secluded area in the main hospital building, near the helicopter landing pad, has been designated to facilitate direct patient transfer without contact with the public, media, or visitors.
At Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh) in Tzrifin, new rooms have been prepared in the southern wing, which previously served as an isolation department. The area has been adapted to receive hostages. It is equipped with internal communication systems, remote medical monitoring cameras, and small televisions to help released hostages reconnect with their families and rehabilitation teams.
Prepared to receive hostages
In addition to the physical arrangements, all medical centers are conducting two days of simulations and training. Teams are practicing full admission procedures, including reception, examination, documentation, triage, and room transfer, while rehearsing scenarios involving physical injuries, exhaustion, dehydration, sleep disturbances, and trauma responses.
Hospital directors noted that these skills were developed during previous hostage releases, but emphasized that this time there is an increased focus on emotional support.
The hostages’ arrival has been planned to ensure quiet and security.
All major hospitals have helicopter landing facilities on or near their grounds, allowing released hostages to be transported directly in armored vehicles via closed routes to their wards, protected from the public and media. Dozens of security personnel, volunteers, and police officers will be stationed on hospital grounds to manage the large crowds of journalists and supporters expected to gather nearby.
The Health Ministry stated that all hospitals are “fully prepared and willing” to receive the hostages at any hour, regardless of their medical condition. A senior ministry official said, “The goal is not only to provide medical care, but to give them a sense of home, safety, and embrace after an unimaginable period of suffering.”
At the same time, all hospitals have been instructed to maintain strict confidentiality, not to release the identity or medical condition of the hostages, and to communicate only through coordinated spokespersons. Access for medical staff has also been restricted to essential personnel, with only officially authorized staff permitted to enter the wards.