ByJUDITH SEGALOFF

JUNE 13, 2026 16:01

As baseball legend Yogi Berra famously noted, the situation remains unresolved until it truly ends. Advanced weapons such as cluster munitions, precision hypersonic missiles, fiber-optic FPV drones, and additional threats could strike Israel without notice. The question remains whether public and private shelters can handle these evolving dangers.

The IDF Home Front Command recently improved its mobile application with clearer signals - red for immediate sheltering, yellow for preliminary alerts, and green for safety - along with enhanced visuals and audio cues. While this update helps, even the best technology proves useless without actual shelter access for those alerted.

A January 2026 report from the State Comptroller revealed that roughly 3.2 million residents, or one-third of the population, lacked standard protection such as safe rooms or public shelters by early 2025. This figure rose from approximately 2.56 million in 2018, reflecting an added 600,000 to 640,000 individuals at risk.

In Safed, local leaders note that half the residents lack shelter access despite repeated rocket fire into northern areas since the conflict started, with the city frequently targeted. Nonprofit groups like Sparks to Life work to fund new protective structures there.

These organizations focus on securing resources for additional shelters across the city.

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman emphasized in the accompanying statement that insufficient infrastructure puts lives at risk, leaving one-third of citizens vulnerable to strikes, including over 42,000 people in communities within nine kilometers of the Syrian and Lebanese borders.

A Community Faces Reality in Karnei Shomron

The Young Israel of Neveh Aliza synagogue in Karnei Shomron discovered the issue firsthand when sirens interrupted a bar mitzvah on Shabbat Zachor.

Though located near a school bus stop, playground, and nature park, the building lacked any shelter. Members previously received instructions to hurry home or reach a public facility two blocks away, leaving children and families exposed in open areas.

During active fighting, Home Front Command orders closed the synagogue for five and a half weeks.

The synagogue president started a global fundraising effort to construct a protected area serving both members and nearby residents.

Local mayor Yonatan Kuznitz explained that the municipality faced limits after securing grants for only three of twelve planned standalone shelters, all assigned to newer areas. Older neighborhoods received no municipal support for such projects, leaving the decades-old synagogue to manage independently.

Longtime member Barry Kochanowitz observed that regulations require a shelter for a synagogue of this scale, noting the past years have highlighted its necessity.

Although funds have been partially secured, delivery of the shelters remains pending amid ongoing discussions about whether to pause services or direct members to distant options if alerts sound.

Protection Works Only When Reachable

Repeated incidents confirm that protected spaces function effectively when accessible in time.

Rare fatalities inside shelters typically involve powerful Iranian ballistic missiles that can compromise structures.

The most severe case occurred on March 1, 2026, in Beit Shemesh, where an Iranian missile struck a synagogue and its underground shelter, collapsing the roof and claiming nine lives including young people.

Additional incidents during the June 2025 conflict with Iran included a Petah Tikva strike that killed two inside a protected area due to extensive damage between adjacent rooms.

The Israel Builders Association 2025-2026 report indicated that of about 2.96 million homes, 56 percent or 1.67 million still lacked private protected spaces by late 2024. Newer residences fare better, while older structures housing millions depend on shared or remote facilities.

How Israel's Shelter System Developed

The network expanded alongside successive conflicts. The 1951 Civil Defense Law mandated protected areas in new constructions, initially emphasizing communal options. After the Yom Kippur War, focus remained on shared underground facilities under 1969 rules, with some taller buildings adding floor-level shelters.

The 1991 Gulf War introduced new measures against potential chemical threats from Scud missiles, including gas mask distribution and home room sealing with plastic sheeting.

The Home Front Command formed in February 1992. By 1992-1993, the mamad personal protected space with reinforced concrete, steel doors, and dedicated ventilation became required in new homes, bringing protection directly into apartments.

Prior to October 7, shelters addressed rockets primarily. That day revealed vulnerabilities as doors lacked bullet resistance or internal locking. Engineers now test upgraded doors meeting these standards.

Recent additions include portable migunit units, floor-level shared spaces, and Tama 38 urban renewal requirements that often incorporate mamad rooms during renovations. All new builds must include private shelters, though pre-1990s properties continue relying on older communal options.

Real estate expert D'vora Brand noted most clients refuse to consider properties without built-in safe rooms.

She described how sales in rural areas require Home Front Command verification of a mamad or nearby public shelter before permits issue. In urban settings, residents use the closest available option, whether shared or public.

Properties without mamad rooms have declined 7 to 15 percent in value. Buyers routinely inquire first about such features and adjust offers to account for installation costs of migunit units or full mamad additions.

Rental units without these features also rank lowest in demand.

New project promotions frequently highlight mamad plus designs that incorporate bathrooms and showers.

Calls for Universal Private Protection

A senior Home Front Command engineer stated the ideal remains individual mamad access for everyone rather than reliance on public facilities.

Each conflict introduces fresh technologies, requiring potential shelter upgrades. Current designs handle recent Iranian cluster munitions effectively per engineer assessments, though evolving drone and weapon capabilities may demand future adjustments.

The Home Front Command maintains testing facilities to evaluate shelters against explosives, drones, and other threats.

The head of protective engineering confirmed that existing safe rooms and shelters perform as intended, with ongoing reviews for modifications as new risks emerge.

Making Shelters Serve Multiple Roles

Shelters rarely function solely for emergencies, so secondary uses help maintain them according to Home Front Command guidance. Private spaces often serve as guest rooms, offices, or play areas, while public ones host activities like martial arts classes, fitness sessions, or religious services. Such usage supports upkeep and covers expenses.

Zohar Shavit arranged with homeowners in Ginot Shomron to convert a shelter into her Contrology House Pilates studio. She funded improvements including linoleum flooring, soundproof ceiling tiles, wall mirrors, and better lighting, with equipment mounted high on walls.

During the conflict, she covered equipment and residents added bedding to accommodate eight families who slept there amid alerts.

Afterward, she restored the space for regular classes.

The protective engineering head noted that business use in shelters helps manage maintenance, keeping them clean and functional. Unused shelters often become moldy or cluttered when suddenly needed.

The comptroller report found about 12 percent of public shelters unsuitable due to dirt, flooding, mold, power issues, or blocked exits, with some repurposed for storage.

Interior designer Shida Ruth Behrouz incorporated a client's guitar collection into a Pardes Hanna shelter to create an inviting atmosphere with seating areas.

Designer Ahuva Rhein planned a mamad master bedroom addition with attached bathroom in Har Bracha, following specialized architectural rules for such spaces.

Her design limited windows to one in the bedroom, routed air-conditioning pipes under floors for external drainage, and avoided wall penetrations that could weaken the 35-centimeter concrete structure by adding a 10-centimeter plaster layer instead.

Bathroom moisture concerns led to a cement pipe vent topped with a shelf to prevent mold.

She focused on ceiling spotlights for gentle illumination near beds.

To avoid a confined vault-like feel, she included a standard door opening into the safe room behind the main steel seal.