The Defense Ministry and Home Front Command will install an additional 1,000 public bomb shelters across Israel and will renovate 500 older ones following the government’s recent approval of the project.
The planned additions and renovations are expected to cost approximately NIS 100 million.
The government’s decision to greenlight new civil defense measures follows days of intense Iranian attacks on civilian homes and infrastructure.
Some 24 Israelis have been killed in the attacks, and the number of wounded has exceeded 800.
Lack of civilian protection against Iranian attacks
After the attacks, much media attention has been drawn to the lack of appropriate protection for Israel’s civilian population. More than half (57%) of Israel’s homes do not have a mamad (safe room) as of 2024, according to the Builders’ Association.
About a quarter of Israelis do not have access to a shelter, BBC News reported on Thursday. The shelters that many do have access to have also reportedly not been properly maintained.
Homes built after 1993 are required to have mamads; however, many of Israel’s older neighborhoods lack the protection.