US Edition
Israel didn’t give permits to these Bedouin villages to build bomb shelters. So they built their own
SOUTHERN ISRAEL, JUL 16 – More than two thirds of Bedouins lack access to proper shelters and build DIY bomb shelters amid missile threats and permit denials, reflecting poverty and discrimination, advocates say.
- Bedouin communities in southern Israel have built their own bomb shelters because Israel did not grant permits for proper construction.
- This situation arose amid missile attacks from Gaza, Iran, and Yemen, exposing insufficient state support and unsafe existing shelters.
- Bedouins, largely living below the poverty line and in unrecognized villages, rely on DIY shelters made from buried trucks and containers to protect their families.
- "Our bomb shelters are not safe," said Najah Abo Smhan, a resident whose family uses a dug-out shelter inadequate against direct missile hits.
- The homemade shelters reflect the urgent need for construction permits and safer options amid ongoing conflict and threats in the Negev Desert.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Letter: Arab Bedouins of the stars
A column about Israel in the Star of June 17, 2025 states: "Jewish settlers inventively converted arid deserts, which nomadic and relatively unproductive Arab inhabitants had let lay fallow...." This superior colonialist attitude is familiar to Native Americans and may…
Idaho Press
Photos of how Bedouins in Israel improvise shelters to survive missile threats
For Israel’s 300,000-strong Bedouin community, there are no shelters to protect them from incoming missiles, so they have to improvise: hiding in steel containers and vehicles buried under 10 feet (3 meters) of dirt and repurposing reconstruction debris in the…
'We do a lot of praying': Inside the Israeli community building DIY bomb shelters
When the sirens wail in the southern Israeli desert to herald an incoming missile, Ahmad Abu Ganima’s family scrambles outside.They squeeze through the window of a minibus buried under ten feet of dirt.Abu Ganima, a mechanic, got the bus from his employer after it was stripped for parts. He buried it in his yard to create an ad-hoc bomb shelter for his family.Youssef Kaabne, one of the Bedouins in Israel. (Picture: Faruk Hanudar/Getty Images)Abu…
Associated Press News
Israel didn’t give permits to these Bedouin villages to build bomb shelters. So they built their own
BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) — When the sirens wail in the southern Israeli desert to herald an incoming missile, Ahmad Abu Ganima’s family scrambles outside.
Bomb Shelter Restoration - CBN Israel
The world watched nervously as news stories showed Iran’s missile attacks on Israel. But the town of Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, was on the frontlines. An Iranian rocket hit the area, destroying hundreds of homes. Thankfully, one apartment building with 18 families was spared. However, when they all rushed to the bomb shelter, they discovered that it was in disrepair. There was a foul odor and the staircase was broken, with no railing, making it…
Photos of how Bedouins in Israel improvise shelters to survive missile threats - Regional Media News
For Israel’s 300,000-strong Bedouin community, there are no shelters to protect them from incoming missiles, so they have to improvise: hiding in steel containers and vehicles buried under 10 feet (3 meters) of dirt and repurposing reconstruction debris in the hope of some protection. For the previously nomadic tribe that lives scattered across the arid Negev Desert, the threats of missiles became even more dire during the 12-day war with Iran l…
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