A parliamentary committee has found that only 20 percent of funds allocated for bomb shelters in 21 communities located up to five kilometers from the northern border have been distributed. The shortfall comes amid ongoing fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has heavily impacted northern towns and villages.

Lawmakers were told that although hundreds of millions of shekels were earmarked to help residents construct protected rooms, only a few hundred shelters have been completed out of a planned ten thousand. Many homes along the border remain without fortification, leaving residents exposed.

Officials said the slow progress is partly due to a policy requiring homeowners to manage construction themselves, unlike communities closer to the border where the state oversees and funds the work directly. In addition, government grants cover only about sixty percent of the estimated cost of a safe room, forcing residents to finance the remainder, a burden critics say many families cannot afford.