In response to Iraq firing Scud missiles at Tel Aviv and Haifa during the first Gulf War in 1991, laws were passed in Israel requiring all new construction – homes, commercial buildings, apartments, etc., must contain a safe room/bomb shelter.
In response to decades of rocket fire from terror organizations in Gaza like Hamas and Islamic Jihad on southern border tows and communities, not only have many people added protective spaces to their homes – there are also reinforced bus shelters; portable, reinforced concrete shelters in place; and even an entire school built with reinforced concrete.
Following the 2nd Lebanon War in 2006 when Haifa was pounded by rocket fire from Hezbollah, Rambam Health Care Campus (my previous workplace), built a three-level, fully fortified underground emergency hospital. Serving as the hospital’s underground parking garage during peacetime, it can be converted into a fully functioning hospital within 72 hours. All hospital activity not housed in fortified facilities has been moved into the underground hospital. Certain buildings and departments, such as those housing the NICU, are fully fortified and don’t need to be moved.
In addition to all of this, as far as I know, every town and community in the country also has public bomb shelters that are also shown on Google Maps.
And of course, we also have an outstanding air defense system.
Instead of thinking that the situation isn’t so bad in Israel because relatively few Israelis have been killed by the rockets, missiles, mortars, and drones fired at us over the decades, be grateful that you don’t live in a country that has, out of necessity, had to develop and deploy solutions to successfully keep its citizens safe – despite the determination and frequent attempts of Iran and its proxy terror organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others to wipe us off the map.
