Earlier this year, during the twelve-day war with Iran, daily life across Israel was repeatedly interrupted by sirens, red alerts, and the race for shelter. For many, it meant running for safety. For mothers in labour and newborn babies, it meant something far more frightening: giving life while under fire.

At Laniado Hospital in Netanya, these days were a stark reminder of a reality long understood but never fully resolved. The hospital serves over half a million people in the Sharon region and delivers more than 8,000 babies each year. Yet its maternity facilities were only partially sheltered.

When sirens sounded, mothers and newborns had as little as 90 seconds to reach safety. Staff wheeled fragile cribs into corridors. Mothers clutched hours-old babies as explosions echoed nearby. Medical care continued under conditions no maternity unit should ever have to endure.

The war did not create the need for a fully sheltered maternity unit. It exposed it.

The New Sheltered Maternity Unit exists because childbirth does not pause for conflict. Because newborns cannot be rushed down corridors. Because the first moments of life should be defined by care and calm.

Spanning 1,900 square metres, the new fortified Maternity Unit more than doubles capacity and allows every element of maternity care. Recovery rooms, nursery, consultation spaces, medical offices and communal areas, all functioning safely during emergencies.

This unit is not about preparation for a hypothetical future. It is about remembering what already happened.

The twelve-day war was a moment of clarity. It reminded us that resilience is not only measured in defence systems and response times, but in whether the most vulnerable are protected when it matters most. The New Sheltered Maternity Unit stands as that response, built from experience, necessity, and the belief that even in times of conflict, life must be given the safest possible beginning.

The unit is set to open its doors in January 2026.