DaysofPal – As missile sirens echoed across Israel during intensified exchanges with Iran, residents in the Arab town of Tamra found themselves with nowhere to take shelter. The town, home to over 35,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel, lacks bomb shelters and protected spaces, a reality many attribute to long-standing discriminatory housing policies.
On Saturday, four Palestinian citizens, all Christian women from the same family, including a mother and her two daughters, aged 13 and 20, were killed when an Iranian missile struck their home. Like most buildings in Tamra, theirs had no safe room or shelter.
When instructed by authorities to stay in protected areas, residents in Tamra either stayed in their homes or gathered in the residences of relatives. In the absence of public shelters or reinforced rooms, many had no other choice.
“Most homes in Arab towns lack shelters,” said a resident from the neighborhood where the missile fell. “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 since this new escalation. There is a state of hysteria, and children are the most vulnerable because of the sounds, sights, and images we’ve seen.”
Residents have long warned of this danger. Despite laws requiring all new buildings since 1991 to include reinforced safe rooms, enforcement in Arab towns has been inconsistent or entirely absent. The town has no public bomb shelters. In contrast, nearby Jewish settlements with far smaller populations are equipped with multiple shelters.
“Arab homes and residents are directly exposed to danger from falling missiles,” said another local. “Ending the war is the only way to end this situation.”
Discrimination by Design
Palestinian citizens of Israel have long-faced systemic inequality, from underfunded schools and hospitals to restrictive building policies. In many Arab towns, overcrowding and lack of state-approved urban plans have pushed residents into what authorities deem “unauthorized” construction.
These buildings are rarely built to code and often lack the mandatory protective infrastructure. Jewish settlements with fewer inhabitants, on the other hand, are constructed to higher standards and have significantly better infrastructure for civil protection per person.
As news of the strike spread, a video circulated on social media showing Israeli settlers celebrating the missile hitting Tamra. In the footage, a man can be heard chanting, “On the village, on the village,” while women sing, “May your village burn,” a racist slogan often heard at anti-Arab demonstrations.
“Such videos are a sign of the loss of humanity and sanity in society,” said a grieving resident. “We live next to these people; they enter Tamra freely, and this is how they react when we suffer.”
“We die and see body parts, while several Jewish citizens dance in our pain,” said a first responder who arrived at the scene following the strike, describing the destruction as “indescribable.” If this video had been filmed by an Arab, he would have been arrested immediately.”
Unequal Enforcement
Since the start of hostilities between Israel and Iran, dozens of Palestinian citizens of Israel have reportedly been arrested under vague accusations of supporting enemy states. No such arrests have been announced for those appearing in the video celebrating the deaths in Tamra.
Residents say this is part of a broader pattern: expressions of grief or anger from Palestinians are criminalized, while racist incitement from others is ignored.
While cities like Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Bat Yam receive extensive emergency support and shelter access, Arab towns like Tamra are left to fend for themselves. As missiles continue to strike cities across the country, reportedly hitting over 20 locations, Palestinian communities say they are being treated as second-class citizens.
“Tamra has no shelters. No one came to help us. And when we mourn, others celebrate,” said one resident. “We’re left to protect ourselves from the bombs and the hate.”
In a joint statement, the Arab Emergency Committee said that what it had been warning about for years had now come to pass, with the missile attack on Tamra revealing an unprecedented level of threat, both in terms of its accuracy and destructive power, making the absence of shelters an existential threat to the residents of Arab towns.
The Authority warned that staying in safe rooms, even if they are not equipped, could be the difference between life and death.
According to the statement, Baraka held the Israeli government fully responsible for this disaster, considering that the neglect in providing means of protection is part of a systematic policy of discrimination, which goes hand in hand with a dangerous military escalation for which the people are paying the price.
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