Is Israel Ready for a Chemical Release in Wartime?
About 3.2 million residents live in areas at risk, on the State Comptroller’s 2022 audit of preparedness for hazardous materials damage in combat.
About 3.2 million residents live in areas at risk from damage to hazardous materials facilities, on the State Comptroller of Israel’s 2022 audit of preparedness for such damage during combat events. The State Comptroller counted about 3,700 holders of hazardous materials, response times of 30 to 40 minutes, and 6 of 9 hazardous-materials fire stations below the training objective. The counts are the State Comptroller’s own, produced by Israel’s state audit institution from the bodies it audited. The audit publishes no release, no casualty and no event.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| About 3.2 million | Residents living in areas defined as at risk | As at the 2022 audit |
| About 3,700 | Holders of hazardous materials | As at the 2022 audit |
| 921 of 3,686, 25% | Holders that failed to report | 2019 |
| 2% | Holders that failed to report | 2020 |
| 30 to 40 minutes | Response time to a hazardous-materials event | As at the 2022 audit |
| 6 of 9 | Hazardous-materials fire stations below the training objective | As at the 2022 audit |
| 200 of 1,681, 12% | Firefighters recorded as monitoring-capable | As at the 2022 audit |
| 39 of 278 | Level-A holders whose records matched cleanly on cross-check | As at the 2022 audit |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, IDF Preparedness for Damage to Hazardous Materials Facilities during Combat Events, chapter 107, 2022.
About 3.2 million residents live in areas at risk
The State Comptroller of Israel published the figure of about 3.2 million residents living in areas at risk in its 2022 audit of preparedness for damage to hazardous materials facilities during combat events. The same audit counted about 3,700 holders of hazardous materials. Both are the State Comptroller’s own figures, drawn from the state bodies it audited, and both describe a defined risk area and a register of holders.
- The 3.2 million is a count of residents living inside areas defined as at risk, not a count of anyone exposed to a release.
- The audit’s subject is preparedness for damage to facilities during combat events, not any incident that occurred.
921 of 3,686 holders failed to report in 2019
The State Comptroller recorded that 921 of 3,686 holders of hazardous materials, 25%, failed to report in 2019, and that the share fell to 2% in 2020. The audit also reported that 21 toxin permits were renewed across 2018 to 2020, and that of 278 Level-A holders cross-checked, 39 matched cleanly. These are findings about the state’s own registers, published by Israel’s state audit institution.
A separate audit covers a different universe. In its 2021 report on the prevention of pollution and salination of water sources, the State Comptroller recorded that 13.5% of 2,184 known fuel facilities and 8.3% of industrial zones were monitored, as at November 2020. Those figures count environmental monitoring coverage and may not be combined with the holder counts above.
Response times run 30 to 40 minutes, against 7 abroad
The State Comptroller reported response times of 30 to 40 minutes to a hazardous-materials event, set against 7 minutes abroad. The comparator is the audit’s own, and the abstract names no country for it.
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Response time recorded in Israel | 30 to 40 minutes | As at the 2022 audit |
| Comparator stated by the audit | 7 minutes abroad | As at the 2022 audit |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, IDF Preparedness for Damage to Hazardous Materials Facilities during Combat Events, 2022.
6 of 9 hazardous-materials fire stations missed the training objective
The State Comptroller found that 6 of 9 hazardous-materials fire stations stood below the training objective, and that 200 of 1,681 firefighters, 12%, were monitoring-capable. Both counts are the State Comptroller’s own, taken from the fire and rescue bodies it audited, and both are counts of stations and personnel rather than of any response performed.
| Measure | Figure | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hazardous-materials fire stations below the training objective | 6 of 9 | Two thirds of the nine |
| Firefighters recorded as monitoring-capable | 200 of 1,681 | 12% |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, IDF Preparedness for Damage to Hazardous Materials Facilities during Combat Events, 2022.
The audit publishes no count of civilian protection kits
The State Comptroller’s 2022 audit carries no figure for gas masks, protective kits or sealed-room coverage. The Knesset Research and Information Centre, in its January 2026 update on preparedness for an earthquake, names dispersal of hazardous materials among the possible secondary events in its reference scenario, and publishes no protective-equipment count either.
- Neither publication in hand states a household protective-equipment holding or a distribution figure.
- The Knesset Research and Information Centre records a reference scenario that Israeli planning bodies design against, which is a planning assumption and not a forecast.
Which figures here may not be added together?
Every figure above is a count published by the State Comptroller of Israel, Israel’s state audit institution, except where the Knesset Research and Information Centre is named. The 3,686 holders and the “about 3,700” are the same population at two roundings, so they are one figure and not two. The 25% for 2019 and the 2% for 2020 are consecutive years of the same measure. The 39 of 278 Level-A holders is a record-matching result about the state’s registers and is not a count of unsafe sites. The 13.5% and 8.3% from the 2021 water-sources audit belong to environmental monitoring coverage and sit in a different universe from the holder counts.
Questions readers ask
Which Israeli body has audited readiness for a hazardous-materials release?
The State Comptroller of Israel published chapter 107 in 2022, an audit of preparedness for damage to hazardous materials facilities during combat events.
How many people live in the areas at risk?
The State Comptroller recorded about 3.2 million residents living in areas at risk, as at the 2022 audit.
How many holders of hazardous materials are there in Israel?
The State Comptroller counted about 3,700 holders, and used a figure of 3,686 for the 2019 reporting check.
How quickly are hazardous-materials incidents reached?
The State Comptroller reported response times of 30 to 40 minutes, and stated a comparator of 7 minutes abroad.
How many specialist fire stations met the training objective?
The State Comptroller found 6 of 9 hazardous-materials fire stations below the training objective, as at the 2022 audit.
How many firefighters were monitoring-capable?
The State Comptroller recorded 200 of 1,681 firefighters, 12%, as monitoring-capable.
Did reporting by holders improve?
The State Comptroller recorded 25% of holders failing to report in 2019 and 2% in 2020.
What does the register cross-check show?
The State Comptroller reported that of 278 Level-A holders cross-checked, 39 matched cleanly, a finding about the state’s own registers.
Does the audit count any chemical release or casualty?
No. The State Comptroller published no release, no casualty and no incident in this audit; it counts preparedness measures only.
Does any Israeli body publish a figure for gas masks or protection kits?
Neither the State Comptroller’s 2022 audit nor the Knesset Research and Information Centre’s 2026 preparedness update publishes a protective-equipment count.
Where else do Israeli bodies report on hazardous materials?
The State Comptroller reported in 2021 on the monitoring of water sources, recording that 13.5% of 2,184 known fuel facilities were monitored as at November 2020.
Is a chemical release part of Israel’s earthquake planning?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre states that a strong earthquake scenario includes possible secondary events, among them dispersal of hazardous materials.
Sources
- Knesset Research and Information Centre, 2026. Issues in Preparedness for an Earthquake in Israel, Update. Prepared for the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee, 13 January 2026. knesset.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2021. Prevention of the Pollution and Salination of Water Sources, Their Monitoring and Rehabilitation. Annual Report 72a, part two. mevaker.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2022. IDF Preparedness for Damage to Hazardous Materials Facilities during Combat Events. Chapter 107, English abstract. library.mevaker.gov.il. Official or primary record.
