Rights9/20/2026

Rules Protecting Older People and People with Disabilities Have Not Yet Taken Effect

Rules for assisting people with disabilities and older citizens in emergencies, approved by a Knesset committee, are awaiting the signature of Defense Minister Israel Katz. Without it, the document will not take effect, while the defense establishment says the delay stems from the absence of an agreed funding source.

Key facts

•Document: Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Rules in Emergencies
•Approval: Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee
•Approval date: July
•Required action: Signature of Defense Minister Israel Katz
•Reason for the delay: No funding source has been agreed

What Happened

In July, the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee approved Defense Ministry rules concerning the basic needs of people with disabilities in emergencies—20 years after the Knesset pledged to regulate the issue. However, for the document to take effect, it requires the signature of Defense Minister Israel Katz, which has not yet been provided. Human rights organizations fear that if another round of fighting breaks out, people with disabilities and older citizens will once again remain without the required protection.

What Measures Were Adopted

New public protective facilities must be accessible to people with disabilities. The state must also provide them with information and instructions on an equal basis with the rest of the population. In addition, the rules regulate the provision of water, food and medicines.

Who Is Supposed to Provide Assistance on the Ground

In emergencies, “community assistants” are supposed to operate in local authorities and maintain contact with people with disabilities and older citizens. After disagreements, it was decided to assign the task to National-Civil Service volunteers. A plan for integrating them into the work is supposed to be prepared jointly by the National-Civil Service Authority, the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Defense and the Federation of Local Authorities.

Why the Signature Is Delayed

According to a statement by the defense establishment, the Knesset committee approved the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Rules in Emergencies without agreeing on a funding source for their implementation. The defense establishment said that, despite the budget crisis, it is trying to arrange separate funding for the provisions relating to its areas of responsibility. The organizations Bizchut, ILAN and ALUT called on the minister to sign the document without delay.

What this means for you

As long as the minister has not signed the rules, the state’s obligations set out in them will not officially take effect. Therefore, people with disabilities and older citizens still do not receive what the document guarantees: access to suitable protective facilities, information, basic supplies and contact with assistants during emergencies.

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