Israel’s national emergency service agency Magen David Adom (MDA) has begun evacuating patients and premature infants to protected areas amid a special state of emergency in Israel, ahead of expected retaliatory attacks from Iran on Friday.

The evacuations are being carried out using three of the agency's intensive care buses equipped with advanced medical equipment.

Early in the morning, Home Front Command issued a state of emergency with orders for all to remain close to a protected space, canceling events and closing non-essential businesses. Many Israeli hospitals discharged patients, continuing to make room for an expected influx and other critical attack-related needs.

The operation, conducted at the request of the Health Ministry, involves transferring patients to safe areas to ensure their safety. MDA teams and neonatal unit staff have been working together to evacuate premature infants, some with their parents, to protected areas at hospitals.

Maximum alert in Israel

MDA has raised its alert level to the maximum and mobilized its staff and volunteers to provide a rapid and effective medical response alongside other first-response groups. The organization's intensive care buses are equipped with seven ICU beds, allowing for the simultaneous evacuation and treatment of multiple patients.

The organization's Director of the Immediate Response Division, Yossi Halabi, stated that the organization is fully prepared to provide rapid and advanced medical response in emergency scenarios.

As Israel's national emergency services agency, MDA treats and transports over 1 million people to hospitals every year and plays a critical role in responding to emergencies as one of the primary emergency responders in Israel.