As Israeli cities braced for Iranian missile strikes following escalating hostilities, reports have emerged that Palestinian citizens of Israel were systematically denied entry to public bomb shelters—leaving many exposed and vulnerable during life-threatening attacks.
On Saturday, June 14, an Iranian missile struck the predominantly Arab town of Tamra, killing four members of a Palestinian family. According to Reuters, the victims had received no warning and had no safe place to shelter.
Despite Israeli law mandating fortified shelters in residential buildings constructed after the 1990s, enforcement in Arab-majority towns remains grossly inadequate.
Eyewitness videos and media reports circulating since June 13 have revealed multiple incidents of discriminatory denial at shelters across the country:
A viral video shows an Israeli guard barring a young Palestinian man from entering a bomb shelter. When questioned, the guard says plainly: “You stay here, you don’t enter the shelter… she can come in and you can’t,” referring to a Jewish woman allowed entry.
In northern Israel, a Palestinian nurse in uniform was turned away from a shelter. Speaking to Middle East Eye, she said she was told, “No, you are an Arab,” before the door was shut on her.
A woman near Acre shared with Al Jazeera that her daughter was also blocked by a neighbor who told them, “Not for you.”
Palestinian citizens make up roughly 20% of Israel’s population, yet incidents like these highlight the systemic exclusion and racism faced by them, even during moments of national emergency. Many feel they are at risk not just from enemy missiles, but from the state’s discriminatory structures.
