Report: Israel lacked evacuation plan after Gaza war

A report released Tuesday by Matanyahu Englman concluded that the Israeli government had no comprehensive national evacuation framework in place when the Gaza conflict began in October 2023. According to the findings, both the government and the military entered the war without a formally approved operational plan to relocate civilians from frontline communities.

Systemic gaps in emergency planning

Englman stated that authorities were compelled to move more than 200,000 Israelis from northern and southern regions under an improvised system, placing additional pressure on local administrations operating under security threats. “The state must rectify the shortcomings in the treatment of the evacuees and prepare for the evacuation of tens of thousands in light of the current security situation,” he said in the report.

The document described what it termed a structural failure in coordinating civilian absorption during emergencies. It also highlighted unresolved disputes between the defense and interior ministries over responsibility for evacuation policy—disagreements that, according to the comptroller, persisted even after he raised the issue directly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

War impact and regional spillover

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023. According to figures cited in the report, more than 72,000 people were killed and over 171,000 injured during the conflict. The hostilities expanded beyond Gaza, affecting Lebanon, Yemen and Iran before a US-backed ceasefire was implemented later that month, bringing a halt to nearly two years of fighting.

Rising tensions with Iran

The comptroller’s findings were released amid heightened regional uncertainty and concerns over a possible US strike targeting Iran’s nuclear program. Analysts note that the absence of a coordinated national evacuation mechanism could pose further risks should tensions escalate into a broader confrontation.