Is Israel Ready for an Earthquake? What the Knesset Centre Published in 2026
The National Emergency Authority’s budget fell from NIS 182.1 million in 2018 to NIS 80 million by 2023, on Knesset research service figures.
NIS 80 million was the National Emergency Authority’s budget by 2023, down from NIS 182.1 million in 2018, on figures the Knesset Research and Information Centre published in its earthquake preparedness update of 13 January 2026. The same update records that the Authority’s manpower fell to about two thirds of its 2018 level, that a strong earthquake occurs in Israel on average every 80 to 100 years, and that the last strong earthquake was in 1927. These are the Israeli state’s own figures for its own bodies, published by the Knesset’s research service. The update carries no figure for reinforced or unreinforced building stock and no shelter-capacity total.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| NIS 182.1 million | National Emergency Authority budget | 2018 |
| NIS 80 million | The same budget, by the year the war began | 2023 |
| About two thirds of the 2018 level | Authority manpower | As at the update |
| 80 to 100 years | Average interval between strong earthquakes in Israel, a long-run average | Stated 13 January 2026 |
| 1927 | Year of the last strong earthquake in Israel | 1927 |
| Thousands dead, tens of thousands injured, thousands requiring shelter | The reference scenario for a strong earthquake, a planning assumption | As at the update |
| No figure published | Buildings reinforced against earthquake, and shelter capacity | The 13 January 2026 update |
Source: Knesset Research and Information Centre, Issues in Preparedness for an Earthquake in Israel, Update, 13 January 2026.
The Emergency Authority’s budget fell from NIS 182.1 million to 80 million
The National Emergency Authority is the body the Knesset Research and Information Centre describes as guiding government ministries on this scenario. Its budget stood at NIS 182.1 million in 2018, was cut to about half that the following year, and stood at NIS 80 million by 2023, when the war began. The Centre states that its manpower fell to about two thirds of the 2018 level. Every figure here is an Israeli state body’s own account of its own funding and staffing, published by the Knesset’s research service on 13 January 2026.
The 2026 Knesset update’s reference scenario projects thousands dead and displaced
The reference scenario for a strong earthquake includes thousands of dead, tens of thousands of injured and thousands of people requiring shelter, as the Knesset Research and Information Centre records in its update of 13 January 2026. It is the planning assumption Israeli bodies design against, stated in ranges by the Israeli state’s own research service rather than as a single number, and it describes no event that has occurred. The Centre lists possible secondary events beside it:
- Dispersal of hazardous materials
- Flooding
- Fires
The last strong earthquake in Israel was in 1927
A strong earthquake occurs in Israel on average every 80 to 100 years, and the last strong earthquake was in 1927, on the figures the Knesset Research and Information Centre published on 13 January 2026. The interval is a long-run average recorded by the Knesset’s own research service, not a schedule or a date.
| Item | What the update states | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Average interval between strong earthquakes | Every 80 to 100 years | Long-run average, stated January 2026 |
| Last strong earthquake in Israel | 1927 | 1927 |
| The document itself | An update of a document published 9 November 2025 | Published 13 January 2026 |
Source: Knesset Research and Information Centre, update of 13 January 2026.
The Civil Defence Law 5711-1951 covers only events of a security character
The Civil Defence Law 5711-1951 anchors the duties of local authorities and deals only with events of a security character, as the Knesset Research and Information Centre records. The Home Front Command was established in 1992 as one of the lessons of the first Gulf War. The division of responsibility between the Command and the Authority rests on an internal arrangement made in 2016 between those two Israeli bodies, under which the Authority guides government ministries.
| Instrument or arrangement | What it covers | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Defence Law 5711-1951 | Duties of local authorities, for events of a security character | 1951 |
| Home Front Command | Established as a lesson of the first Gulf War | 1992 |
| Internal arrangement between the Authority and the Command | Division of responsibility, the Authority guiding ministries | 2016 |
| State Comptroller report | Several weaknesses in the work of the steering committee | Published 2024 |
Source: Knesset Research and Information Centre, update of 13 January 2026, which reports the Comptroller’s finding.
The 2026 update publishes no count of buildings reinforced against earthquake
The Knesset Research and Information Centre publishes no figure for reinforced or unreinforced building stock in its 13 January 2026 update, and no shelter-capacity total. What the Israeli state’s own research service does carry there is the recurrence interval, the reference scenario, the budget and manpower series and the legal division of responsibility.
- Carried: recurrence interval, reference scenario, Authority budget and manpower, responsible bodies and the statute behind them
- Not carried: reinforced building count, unreinforced building count, shelter capacity, any per-locality readiness figure
Which figures here are planning assumptions rather than counts?
The reference scenario is a planning assumption used by Israeli bodies, not an observation and not a forecast, and its ranges stay as ranges. The 80 to 100 year interval is a long-run average and implies nothing about any particular year. The budget and manpower figures measure one Israeli body’s funding and staffing, and they are not a measure of building stock, shelter capacity or the readiness of any locality. The manpower figure is published as a proportion of the 2018 level, with no absolute number beside it, and it stays a proportion.
Questions readers ask
Who guides Israeli ministries on earthquake preparedness?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre records that the National Emergency Authority guides government ministries, under an internal arrangement made with the Home Front Command in 2016.
What was the National Emergency Authority’s budget?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre published a budget of NIS 182.1 million for 2018, a cut to about half that the following year, and NIS 80 million by 2023.
By how much did the Authority’s staffing fall?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre states that the Authority’s manpower fell to about two thirds of its 2018 level.
How often do strong earthquakes occur in Israel?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre records an average of one strong earthquake every 80 to 100 years.
When was Israel’s last strong earthquake?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre states that the last strong earthquake in Israel was in 1927.
What does the reference scenario include?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre reports a scenario of thousands of dead, tens of thousands of injured and thousands of people requiring shelter.
Which secondary events does the scenario allow for?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre lists dispersal of hazardous materials, flooding and fires as possible secondary events.
Does Israeli law give local authorities earthquake duties?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre records that the Civil Defence Law 5711-1951, which anchors those duties, deals only with events of a security character.
When was the Home Front Command established?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre states that the Home Front Command was established in 1992 as one of the lessons of the first Gulf War.
Has the State Comptroller reported on this?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre reports that a State Comptroller report published in 2024 found several weaknesses in the work of the steering committee.
How many buildings in Israel are reinforced against earthquake?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre publishes no figure for reinforced or unreinforced building stock in its 13 January 2026 update, and no shelter-capacity total.
Sources
- Knesset, 5711-1951. Civil Defence Law, 5711-1951. Israeli statute. Official or primary record.
- Knesset Research and Information Centre, 2026. Issues in Preparedness for an Earthquake in Israel, Update. Prepared for a discussion of the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee, 13 January 2026, knesset.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2024. Audit findings on the work of the earthquake preparedness steering committee, as reported in the Knesset Research and Information Centre update of 13 January 2026. Official or primary record.
