Report: 2.6 million Israelis lack adequate rocket fire protection

Israel faces a serious aerial defense challenge, with 21,000 rockets and mortars fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip alone between 2000 and 2019.

By Benjamin Kerstein, The Algemeiner

A total of 2.6 million Israelis — approximately 28% of the population — do not have access to adequate protection from rocket fire, according to a new State Comptroller’s report.

The report, published on Monday, found that Israel was facing a serious aerial defense challenge, with several hundred thousand projectiles in the hands of its enemies, and it noted that between 2000 and 2019 there had been 21,000 rockets and mortars fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip alone.

One major vulnerability was “vital facilities,” only a small number of which have the proper aerial defense measures in place. The Defense Ministry was singled out for criticism on this issue.

The report also severely criticized the current plan for evacuating the civilian population from border areas in the event of a conflict, characterizing it as deeply flawed and difficult to implement.

The IDF stated in response to the report, “The significant gap that emerges in the report concerns government decisions that have not yet been implemented.”

It added that a plan for the defense of northern Israel was already in its initial stages, during which the IDF would survey communities up to a kilometer from the border and assess their security and defense requirements.

This information would then be used “to provide a defense solution for the communities who require it in this sector,” the army said.