Palestinian citizens of Israel are having to fend for themselves amid ongoing missile strikes by Iran, with the beleaguered community lacking access to shelters and safe rooms due to discriminatory building policies.
On Saturday, four Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed in the predominantly Arab town of Tamra, some 25km east of Haifa, after an Iranian missile unexpectedly struck their residential building.
Local residents told Middle East Eye that four Christian women from the same family were killed in the attack, including a mother and her two daughters, aged 13 and 20.
Residents said that when the Israeli government instructed Israelis to stay in protected areas as missile alerts sounded, Palestinians in Tamra decided to shelter in place – or they sought safety in groups at the homes of other family members – due to the absence of public shelters and safe rooms.
“Most homes in Tamra, and those in predominantly Arab towns, lack shelters,” Muhammed Soboh, a Tamra resident, told MEE.
“I live in the neighbourhood where the rockets fell,” he said.
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“There is not a single house that has not been gripped by panic and fear, whether since the beginning of the war on Gaza or the beginning of this war.
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“There is a state of hysteria, and children are the most vulnerable because of the sounds, sights, and images we’ve seen.”
Before Saturday’s strikes, Tamra’s residents had repeatedly complained of the lack of bomb shelters in the area, noting that almost no homes were equipped with a safe room – despite such facilities being mandatory in all new properties built after 1991.
Other residents told MEE that despite the town being home to more than 35,000 people, there were no public shelters either. Meanwhile, according to reports, the nearby settlement of Mitzpe Aviv boast at least 13 public shelters for its 1,100 residents.
“Arab homes and residents are directly exposed to danger from the fall of anti-aircraft missiles,” Soboh said.
“Ending the war is the only way to end this situation,” he added.
Decades of discrimination
Since the state of Israel was established in 1948, Palestinian citizens of Israel have complained of systemic discrimination, including chronic underinvestment, in their communities.
Decades of discrimination in land and housing policies have left most Palestinian citizens of Israel living in densely populated cities and villages, leading to what Israel sees as illegal construction.
Building work in these areas usually fails to meet required standards and almost never includes shelters.
Since Friday, when Israel and Iran began trading fire, Israelis have been grappling with the damage caused by Iranian missile strikes in several cities, including Haifa, Tel Aviv and Bat Yam.
According to data shared by the Israeli prime minister’s office, missiles have broken through Israel’s air defense system and struck some 22 locations across Israel.
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Media restrictions have made it increasingly difficult to assess the full damage from the strikes as Israeli news outlets largely comply with the rules set out by the Israeli military.
In the wake of these attacks, Israelis have largely banded together in several parts of the country.
But in the nearby settlement of Mitzpe Aviv, Israelis appeared to have welcomed the missile strike on Tamra.
“On the village, on the village,” an Israeli settler could be heard saying in a video documenting the strike, whilst women sang the anti-Arab song “May your village burn.”
“These people enter Tamra and live close to it,” Soboh said referring to Mitzpe Aviv’s residents.
“Such videos are a sign of the loss of humanity and sanity in Israeli society,’ Soboh added.
Doa’a Hamadi, a Tamra resident and first responder still reeling from the attack, lamented the way wider Israeli society was reacting to the video.
“We die and see body parts, while a number of Jewish citizens dance in our pain,” Hamadi said. “If this video had been filmed by an Arab citizen, he would have been arrested immediately.”
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has said dozens of Palestinian citizens of Israel have been arrested on the spurious charge of expressing support for the Islamic Republic.
Despite appeals from several Palestinian citizens of Israel, it remains unclear whether any Israelis have been arrested over the celebratory video.
