3,500 people evacuated, 10,946 damage claims filed since start of latest Iran war

State comptroller report shows most evacuations from Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Beit Shemesh and Beersheba, with half of damage claims coming from Tel Aviv region

By Sue Surkes

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18 March 2026, 11:38 am

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Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter

Officers from the IDF Home Front Command search through the rubble of a damaged apartment building after an Iranian missile strike, in Tel Aviv, early March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Just under 3,500 residents of Israel have been forced to evacuate their homes since the start of the current war against Iran, and 10,946 claims for property damage have been submitted, the state comptroller said.

A report published Monday covered the period from the start of the war on February 28 to 8 a.m. on Sunday.

Evacuations took place in 22 local authorities hit by missiles or interception fragments. They were led by Tel Aviv-Jaffa (1,420), Beit Shemesh west of Jerusalem (840), and the southern city of Beersheba (570). In fourth place came the mixed Arab-Jewish central city of Ramle (190), followed by Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv (105), Zarzir, a Bedouin town in northern Israel (65), and the central cities of Givatayim (55) and Ramat Gan (40).

Nine people, including three siblings, were killed in Beit Shemesh earlier this month when an Iranian missile strike demolished a synagogue and several homes. Israel’s rescue services said 65 people were hospitalized in the attack, including two seriously wounded.

In one major hit on Beersheba, at least 19 people were injured.

Around 60 percent of the evacuees countrywide chose to move into hotels, with the rest finding their own accommodations, with state support.

The site of an Iranian ballistic missile impact in a residential area of Beersheba, March 2, 2026. (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)

As barrages of missiles continued to rain down on central Israel, a ballistic missile killed a Ramat Gan couple in their 70s early on Wednesday morning.

Of the compensation claims, around 7,650 were for structural damage, 1,180 for broken equipment, 1,950 for vehicle damage and 175 classified as “other.”

Around half of all property claims (5,614) were submitted from the Tel Aviv region, the report said.

Tel Aviv was followed by the area around the southern city of Ashkelon (4,022), northwestern Acre (815), northeastern Tiberias (278), and Jerusalem (217).

People inspect the damage at the scene where a missile fired toward Israel caused damage in Hazor HaGlilit, northern Israel, March 14, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

To shorten the bureaucratic process for claiming compensation, the Tax Authority has introduced a fast-track system for claims of up to NIS 30,000 ($9,720) that requires an owner’s declaration and photos of the damage. This is supposed to provide payments within a week without the need for a surveyor’s visit.

Of the 10,946 claims submitted during the report’s timeframe, 1,821 were opened in this track. No data was available for any payments made.