Barzilai Medical Center is a 490-bed hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

 in Ashkelon

Ashkelon

Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...

 in southern Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. The Hospital serves a population of 500,000, including a large number of Ethiopian and Russian immigrants. It has 100,000 admissions annually.

History

The hospital opened in July 1961, and was initially named Ashkelon Hospital. Construction was financed by the Ministry of Health with the assistance of the South-African Zionist Federation, the Ashkelon municipality and Mifal HaPayis

Mifal HaPayis

Mifal HaPayis is the national lottery of Israel. Gambling is illegal in Israel. The only body licensed to provide betting services is Mifal Hapayis. -History:...

. The building was designed by the architect David Anatol Brutzkus, covering an area of 8000 sq. m. In 1971, it was renamed for Minister of Health

Health Minister of Israel

The Ministry of Health is a ministry in the Israeli government. The current Minister of Health is Binyamin Netanyahu of Likud.There is occasionally a Deputy Minister of Health...

 Yisrael Barzilai

Yisrael Barzilai

Yisrael Barzilai was an Israeli politician who served as a government minister during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.-Biography:Born in an area that was later to become part of Poland), Barzilai joined Hashomer Hatzair at the age of 11. In 1932 he moved to Paris to study, before making aliyah to...

, who laid the cornerstone of the building in the early 1960s.

Situated six miles from Gaza

Gaza

Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...

, it has been the target of numerous Qassam

Qassam

Qassam may refer to:*Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, an influential Islamist preacher*Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas*Qassam rocket, a type of rocket used by the military wing of Hamas against Israel...

 and Grad

Grad

- Geometry & measurement :* Grad , a unit of angular measurement* Gradient of a scalar field, a differential operator in mathematics- Education related events & ceremonies :* Graduation ceremony, prom, or a graduate...

 rocket attacks, sometimes as many as 140 over one weekend. The hospital pays a vital role in treating wounded soldiers and terror victims.

Emergency room controversy

Plans to build a new rocket and missile-proof emergency room for the hospital have been hampered by Haredi protests sparked by the discovery of human remains in an ancient burial ground unearthed during construction activities.