An urgent project to map and renovate thousands of bomb shelters in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Israel’s north has renovated about 1,000 shelters in its first week and a half, following the outbreak of the war with Hamas on October 7. The project, called Ir Miklat (the Biblical term for a ‘city of refuge’) was launched as a partnership between JNF UK and the NGO Ossim Shechuna (literally, ‘Making a Neighborhood.’).
The project, which bears a NIS 4 million price tag, is meant to prepare for a possible northern front, should Hezbollah go to war with Israel amidst the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Any war with Hezbollah is expected to include heavy missile barrages aimed at Israeli population centers.
There are about 53,000 shared private shelters in Israel, which cater to 1.3 million people. Half of all shelters in disadvantaged neighborhoods are defined as “unsuitable for emergencies.” Of these, 70% are in a state of neglect, 20% of have been occupied by residents of the building and 10% have infrastructure problems.
During Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021, NF UK and Ossim Shechuna were involved in renovating hundreds of unusable shelters for 20,000 residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods in cities in the south and center. Renovation workers were alarmed to discover shelters that had been turned into warehouses, filled with garbage or made use of by drug addicts. This left residents, including children, exposed to missile fire without a protected space.
'A few golden hours to continue working'
Yonatan Galon, Managing Director of JNF UK’s Israel team, said the problem was “urgent,” that “population centers in the north, which is expected to be hit particularly hard, are not prepared” should a northern front break out.
“We must take advantage of this time,” he said, “to learn the lesson from the events in the south and from the Second Lebanon War as well, when many shelters had become filled with junk and were not usable.
“Right now, we still have a few golden hours to continue working, clearing shelters, arranging electricity and water, painting and providing essential furniture and supplies. For this purpose, we need as many volunteers as possible."