Millions of Israelis still lack bomb shelters: State Comptroller

Some 2.6 million Israelis do not have access to proper bomb shelters as conflict with Iran rages, despite previous warnings about the time-sensitive issue.

By World Israel News Staff

At least 24 Israeli civilians have been killed by Iranian missile attacks since the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war last Friday, with Israeli authorities stressing that entering bomb shelters when sirens sound is critical for saving lives.

But according to Israel’s State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman, “millions” of Israeli citizens do not have access to bomb shelters, despite a previous warning by his office that the lack of protected spaces posed a potentially deadly risk.

“In 2020, we published an extremely serious report about the protection gaps in the State of Israel,” Engelman said in a public statement, after touring the sites of deadly missile attacks on apartment buildings in Bat Yam and Ramat Gan, both Tel Aviv suburbs in central Israel.

“At that time, it was found that close to 2.6 million residents were living without adequate protection. Moreover, budgets allocated to the issue were not utilized, and government plans were left unfunded,” he said.

Engelman said that “the gaps remain extremely significant,” with “millions of Israeli citizens still without protection, malfunctioning public shelters, a lack of mapping for the population without access to protected spaces, and insufficient preparedness to support civilians once they are harmed.”

The Comptroller said that Israel’s senior leadership and authorities must act immediately to ensure the safety of Israeli civilians during the ongoing conflict.

“I call upon the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Security, the Minister of Defense, the Home Front Command, and all relevant parties: we are in the midst of a war against Iran. It is crucial to ensure the home front is addressed. A strong home front is essential for the State of Israel,” Engelman added.