Disabled Israelis Still Lack Accessible Protection When Sirens Sound
As tensions with Iran briefly flared again last week, Yoav Wagner, chair of Nacut Israel, was inundated with messages from worried families asking whether they could evacuate to an accessible shelter. One message came from a family with three young children, two of them disabled, including a girl with epilepsy and a rare disease. The family asked whether they were entitled to evacuation to an accessible protected space. Hours later a ceasefire was declared, but the underlying problem remained, Wagner said: the state still has no clear answer for people who cannot reach a shelter on their own.
In the absence of enough accessible protection, many disabled people living in apartments without protected rooms remain unprotected during alarms. Civil society groups have stepped in. Nacut Israel has long operated the “Purple Vest” hotline for emergencies such as rocket fire, earthquakes and fires. During Operation “Roar of the Lion,” volunteers evacuated several thousand disabled people to hotels and helped adapt protected spaces. Wagner warned that philanthropic funding is running out and said, “The state must prepare for the next event.”
The state promised about 20 years ago to regulate the issue, but progress was slow. About a year ago, the Knesset Welfare Committee approved regulations creating a database of people with disabilities living at home, so local authorities can contact and assist them in emergencies. The lists are meant to focus on people without family support or who live alone. Yet the regulations also rely on “community supporters” to reach people on the list, and it is still unclear who will employ or finance them during wartime.
The community-support model, developed by the Joint and the Welfare Ministry after the Second Lebanon War, has been used in emergencies to help welfare departments, especially with seniors and people with disabilities. Since October 7, about 140 such supporters have been active. Rights groups, including BZCHUT, AKIM, ALUT, ILAN and ENOSH, warned in a letter to the Knesset that without a staffed system the database will be empty of practical value. They and the local-authority umbrella group say the Defense Ministry, through Home Front Command and emergency conscription, should be responsible. Committee chair MK Michal Woldiger also favors that option, but Home Front Command has not yet accepted responsibility. The Welfare Ministry said data transfer mechanisms to local authorities are complete and a joint webinar with municipalities and the Defense Ministry will soon explain the next steps.
