Locked Out in a Missile War: Israel’s Public Shelters Fail Thousands Seeking Safety
The article highlights the critical issue of inaccessible public bomb shelters in Israel, which have been repurposed for private use, leaving residents vulnerable during emergencies. It details personal accounts of residents facing locked or misused shelters amid recent missile attacks, exposing systemic neglect and inadequate responses from local authorities.
Across Israel, public bomb shelters, intended as safe havens during emergencies, are increasingly inaccessible, leaving residents exposed during recent missile attacks from Iran. With 24 fatalities, over 500 injuries, and countless others enduring sleepless nights in fear, the Home Front Command, Magen David Adom, and rescue services have repeatedly emphasized: "Shelter saves lives." Yet, for many, access to these critical spaces is blocked by locks, private misuse, or institutional neglect.
Reports from cities like Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, and Haifa reveal a troubling pattern: public shelters are being converted into private storage units, apartments, kindergartens, or synagogues. In Bnei Brak’s Ashal Avraham Street, Aharon described how a public shelter opposite his home was turned into a storage facility for ZAKA Tel Aviv’s equipment. During a recent missile barrage, he and 20 neighbors, trembling with fear, tried to access it but were given an incorrect code by the municipality. “We tried breaking the door for a long time and ended up standing in the hallway,” he recounted.
ZAKA Tel Aviv defended their use, stating, “The shelter serves the organization routinely, supporting bereaved families, and is maintained for emergency use. The code is held by the municipality and a nearby neighbor.” However, residents like Tehila Ben Harush from Kiryat Herzog’s Haim Landau Street face similar barriers. A public shelter there was converted into a kindergarten, with staff blocking entry. “My grandmother and the neighborhood have no safe room. We contacted the municipality, but they said nothing could be done,” she shared.
In another Bnei Brak case, a shelter on Wasserman Street was taken over by a “prominent righteous figure” who turned it into a private book storage, refusing access to neighbors. Yael, a resident, noted, “He installed metal cabinets for his books and won’t open it for us.” Meanwhile, a resident near Hashlosha Street admitted to using an electric saw to break into a seminar’s shelter during an alert, saying, “I’m ashamed, but I had no choice.”
In a striking incident, a public shelter on Shapira Street in Bnei Brak, converted into a Gur Hasidic synagogue, saw a woman forced out during an alert because men were “in the middle of prayer.” In Jerusalem, Renana described tenants living in shelters who lock them during alarms, some displaying intimidating behavior. In Haifa’s Hadar neighborhood, a mother of eight revealed a shelter was purchased and rented out as an apartment. “We contacted the municipality and Home Front Command, but they said, ‘You’re right, but there’s nothing we can do,’” she lamented.
Municipal responses vary. Bnei Brak’s municipality claimed it published a list of open public shelters at the onset of the attacks and addressed specific complaints by breaking into locked ones. Haifa’s municipality stated that enforcement teams cleared debris from shelters to ensure usability. Jerusalem’s authorities noted that only one of four “protected structures” in a specific area is designated for emergency use, with a nearby public shelter available, and they are working to clear others.
The issue stems not from a lack of shelters but from neglect, appropriation, and lax enforcement. As densely populated cities like Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, and Haifa grapple with this crisis, residents are left vulnerable, forced to stand in hallways or break into their own shelters. The systemic failure underscores an urgent need for stricter oversight to ensure these life-saving spaces remain accessible during emergencies.
