Israeli shelters near Gaza lacking

Conditions of public shelters in Israel within range of missiles fired from Gaza is inadequate, an internal document indicated. The review by the Home Front Command came after Operation Pillar of Defense and assessed the condition of the 778 shelters within about 25 miles of Gaza, Ynetnews.com reported Friday. Assessed were a shelter's potential for damage and the number of missile-launching warnings, among other things. Leading the list is Kiryat Malachi, a city with a population of 23,000, which received the most lethal of hits during the operation, the report said. Fourteen of the 45 shelters were found inadequate, with eight needing immediate renovation. Second was Ashkelon, where 28 of the city's 140 public shelters were found inadequate. Ofakim was third, with 51 of the city's 88 shelters found to be sub-par. In the study, the Home Front Command defined an inadequate public shelter is as one "that does not enable even a short-term stay for various reasons including flooding or damage to windows and doors ... and more." Military sources confirmed to Ynetnews.com the details presented in the report, noting however, that local officials are responsible for public shelters in Israel.