Jerusalem, 8 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Ministry of Health continues to update the guidelines for operating the health system during the emergency. The guidelines were formulated after an up-to-date situation assessment and in coordination with the Home Front Command, with the aim of enabling therapeutic continuity as much as possible, while strictly maintaining the safety of patients and medical staff.

From today, Sunday, hospitals will be able to resume ambulatory and elective activities (pre-planned medical activities that are carried out without hospitalization and that are not urgent) while maintaining preparedness for a mass casualty event and subject to protection guidelines.

The Ministry of Health defines a number of conditions for the return of elective and ambulatory activity, including: maintaining the hospital’s ability to respond to a mega-incident (multiple casualty event) at any given moment; maintaining hospital occupancy in accordance with the definitions of the hospitalization complex in the National Health Commission; and maintaining ambulatory activity with access to a standard protected space, so that the patient, the companion, and the staff will have the opportunity to reach it within the defense time required by the Home Front Command.

The guidelines also state that the scope of the activity must be adjusted so that the existing protected spaces can accommodate the expected number of people – patients, companions and staff – as well as the equipment required during the activity. Hospitals are required to map the protected spaces in each medical institution and determine the number of people each space can accommodate before opening the service.

In addition, operations and surgeries performed under sedation or general anesthesia will be performed only in standard protected areas, such as operating rooms or operating and recovery rooms.

Gil Tanenbaum

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