70-year-old woman charged for blocking entrance to Bat Yam bomb shelter during Iran war

Police prosecutors file charges against a 70-year-old woman accused of preventing civilians from taking cover in a Bat Yam bomb shelter during an Iranian missile attack.

Police say the defendant, Liliana Laniado, is the first to be indicted on the criminal offense of blocking entry to a bomb shelter, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.

Preventing someone from taking cover in a shelter is punishable with a year of jail time or a fine.

The indictment, filed by the Tel Aviv District police’s prosecution unit, alleges that Laniado prevented neighbors from taking cover in her building’s shelter the morning of June 22, blocking the entrance with her body and claiming that there was no room in the protected space as sirens blared.

“In the end, she simply shut the door and left us exposed to the missile fire. We feared for our lives,” says one of the neighbors to Channel 12.

Many such incidents were reported across the country during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June.

אירוע נוסף של מניעת כניסה למקלט בשעת אזעקה הופץ ברשת היום- לא נעשה כלום למרות התלונה במשטרה: המקרה הנוכחי הוא מהעיר בת ים ברחוב ארלוזורוב 46, אדם עם כלב לא הורשה להכנס למקלט כמובן בניגוד לחוק. האדם הגיש תלונה אבל עד עכשיו לא בוצעו שום פעולות מצד המשטרה, זה בדומה למקרה בפתח תקווה… pic.twitter.com/2imDfWW6Uv

— daniel amram – דניאל עמרם (@danielamram3) June 22, 2025

Police announced during the war on June 23 that they had arrested three Bat Yam residents on suspicion of blocking bomb shelter access.

One of the people detained allegedly assaulted a woman, breaking her nose, because she tried to bring her dog and cat into a public shelter.