A 70-year-old Israeli woman who allegedly prevented people from entering a bomb shelter in Bat Yam during a missile barrage from Iran on June 22 was indicted by the police prosecution unit on Sunday.
Liliana Laniado is the first person charged with blocking entry to a bomb shelter, according to the Israel Police.
As air-raid sirens warned of incoming ballistic missiles, tenants from a nearby building without a bomb shelter tried to enter Laniado’s bomb shelter, according to the indictment. The defendant allegedly stood at the entrance and barred their entry, asserting there was no room.
The defendant shuttered the door and the neighbors remained outside, Ynet reported.
Israel’s Civil Defense Law prohibits preventing entry to a bomb shelter during a state of emergency on the home front, a criminal offense punishable with a year of prison time or a fine.
One of the neighbors whose entry was barred at the time told Israel’s Channel 12 News that he was glad about the indictment.
Shoval Ilay Fux, who documented the incident on video, said, “I believe that following the public outcry, such incidents will change—not just because of the law, but because of the humanity and moral compass that should guide every person during a time of war. We must focus on what truly matters here: bringing our hostages home and not on baseless hatred.”
Around the time of the incident, Fux told Channel 12: “I was in shock and couldn’t understand why that woman was refusing to let me in. Everyone knows what Bat Yam went through—I was afraid something might happen to me.”
According to Channel 12, Fux filed a complaint against Laniado following the incident. His testimony was collected and she was summoned several hours later for questioning. The police later recommended pressing charges against her.
The city of Bat Yam, abutting southern Tel Aviv, was struck by Iranian missiles during the 12-day war that began on June 13.
Nine people were killed, including an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, and scores were wounded in a 2:45 a.m. Iranian attack on June 14.
At least 180 others were wounded in the strike, according to Daniel Hadad, Ayalon region director of the IDF Home Front Command.
“We were in the bomb shelter as soon as we got an alert on our phone, and then we heard a tremendous explosion that sent the door flying,” Snezhana Yaacovlev, 36, told JNS. “There was total darkness; we couldn’t see anything, and when we got out, there was dust all around and the smell of burning. We were all in shock.”
Her building was gutted.
Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot said at the time that those who died in the attack were not in the building’s bomb shelter. More than 60 buildings were damaged, including six that will have to be demolished, he said.
