Jerusalem, 12 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of Social Affairs has a resilience system where approximately 23,000 people are active in community emergency teams in their localities and neighborhoods.
There are 948 local emergency and resilience teams and 327 neighborhood emergency and resilience teams in 154 local authorities across the country who provide initial response, identify special needs, and strengthen the community envelope in emergencies.
In missile and rocket strikes, and in other emergency situations, the first people to encounter the victims are often not the distant rescue forces, but their neighbors – the emergency team members who live nearby. Their immediate presence and familiarity with the residents allows for reassurance, initial response on the ground, and mediation of needs with professional bodies even before the arrival of security and emergency forces.