Emergency preparedness in Israel: what the official rules say

Short answer. Israel's Home Front Command asks every household to prepare emergency equipment for 72 hours ¹ and to choose a protected space in advance, following an official priority order that starts with the in-home protected room (mamad) ¹⁵. When a siren sounds, its length is the time you have to reach that space; you then stay inside for 10 minutes ¹. The emergency numbers are 100, 101, 102, 104 and 106 ¹.

Information last checked on 20 October 2026. The responsible body is the Home Front Command (פיקוד העורף), part of the Israel Defense Forces, which issues civil defence guidelines and alerts and sets shelter standards ¹. Local authorities manage public shelters and supervise shared private shelters ². The main household document is the two-page Home Front Command flyer "A prepared family is a safe family" (משפחה מוכנה היא משפחה בטוחה); the PDF on the government site is dated May 2022 ¹.

What is covered in this Israel section?

What does Israel ask households to store?

The Home Front Command asks families to prepare equipment that will last 72 hours, for situations such as a prolonged power cut or a shortage of essential goods ¹. The flyer lists bottled water and food in sealed packaging, a flashlight, a radio with batteries, a phone charger, a first-aid kit and medications, cash and copies of documents ¹. It gives no per-person quantities ¹. Details are on the emergency supplies page.

Where do I shelter?

Each person chooses a protected space in advance, in this order: an apartment, floor or institutional protected space; then a shared or public shelter; then an internal stairwell with no outside walls or windows; then an internal room with as few outside walls and openings as possible ¹⁵. A public shelter counts only if you can reach it within the warning time ¹. At the start of 2019 Israel had 12,601 public shelters, about 20% of which were not fit for use, and about 2.6 million residents (28%) had no standard protection near their home ². See public shelters.

How will I be warned?

Alerts are targeted to each locality, and large cities are split into several alert zones ¹. They reach people through outdoor sirens, the official Home Front Command app, the National Emergency Portal on a home computer, and TV, radio and websites ¹. The Home Front Command's "Personal Message" service also sends alerts by Cell Broadcast to supporting mobile phones in the threatened areas, with no sign-up needed ⁶. See alerts.

Is a protected room required in new homes?

Yes. Since a 1992 amendment to the 1990 shelter construction regulations, every new residential building and every extension larger than 12 m² must include an apartment protected space (mamad) or a floor protected space (mamak) ²³. See building a shelter and shelter standards.

What about iodine tablets?

No current official Israeli guidance on potassium iodide could be confirmed for this page. The Ministry of Health medicines registry lists no potassium iodide tablet currently registered; the two 130 mg products once registered were cancelled in 2010 and 2014 ⁷. The iodine page explains what is known and what is not. For the general science, see our guide on potassium iodide.

Frequently asked questions

Who is responsible for civil defence in Israel?

The Home Front Command issues guidelines, runs alerts and sets shelter standards ¹. Local authorities manage public shelters, supervise shared private shelters and handle local emergency response; their hotline is 106 ¹².

Is there an official family emergency plan?

Yes. The Home Front Command flyer covers the 72-hour kit, a family plan, life-saving instructions during rocket fire, alert channels and emergency numbers ¹. A Home Front Command letter to residents also describes family preparations for missile strikes ⁵. Our guide on the family emergency plan explains how to prepare one.

Where can I read the official guidance?

The Home Front Command website is oref.org.il ¹. The flyer used for this section is a Hebrew PDF hosted on gov.il ¹.

Sources

1. Home Front Command (פיקוד העורף) / National Emergency Portal, hosted on gov.il — משפחה מוכנה היא משפחה בטוחה – ציוד לחירום; הנחיות מצילות חיים בעת ירי רקטות וטילים — https://govextra.gov.il/media/utja2pbm/%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9D.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. State Comptroller of Israel (מבקר המדינה) — ההיערכות להגנת העורף מפני איום טילים ורקטות (מיגון פיזי, התרעה ופינוי אוכלוסייה) - ביקורת מעקב (דוח שנתי 70ג, 2020) — https://library.mevaker.gov.il/sites/DigitalLibrary/Documents/2020/70c/2020-70c-101-Oref.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. State Comptroller of Israel (מבקר המדינה) — מקלוט ומיגון לאוכלוסייה האזרחית - ממצאי מעקב (דוח שנתי 48) — https://library.mevaker.gov.il/sites/DigitalLibrary/Pages/Reports/2905-92.aspx (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Standards Institution of Israel (מכון התקנים הישראלי) — ת"י 4422 חלק 2 – פריטי מסגרות למקלטים: פריטים למרחבים מוגנים - דרישות ובדיקות — https://www.sii.org.il/lobby/standardization/standard-page?id=6067 (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Home Front Command (copy hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria) — My family's preparations in case of missile strikes — https://mfa.bg/upload/45281/Home_Front_Command_Preparedness_Information%20(1).pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
6. Ministry of Communications of Israel (משרד התקשורת), gov.il; web.archive.org capture of 2 Dec 2025 — תיק שירות "מסר אישי" - הפצת התרעות ברשת רט"ן בטכנולוגיית Cell Broadcast (מהדורה 2, 27 בנובמבר 2014) — https://web.archive.org/web/20251202165405/https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/generalpage/general_licensing_documents/he/3595-%D7%A1%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A7.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
7. Ministry of Health of Israel (משרד הבריאות), registries.health.gov.il — מאגר התרופות (Israeli Drug Registry): IOSAT 130 mg (reg. 142 03 31868 00) and POTASSIUM IODIDE 130 MG (reg. 094 10 26584 00); search by component POTASSIUM IODIDE — https://registries.health.gov.il/Medicines (accessed 2026-10-20)