Earthquake alerts in Israel: what to do and how they work
When you get an earthquake alert, go out to an open area at once. If you can't, enter the protected room (mamad) or the stairwell. This is the opposite of a rocket alert: in an earthquake the safest place is outside, away from buildings.
Updated 11 November 2026 · Based on Home Front Command guidance · עברית
What to do when an alert arrives
Act fast and move to a safe place you can reach within a few seconds. Treat every earthquake as a strong one.
Indoors
- If you can leave the building within a few seconds (up to second floor): go outside at once and keep away from buildings, trees, power lines and anything that could fall.
- If you cannot leave the building within a few seconds (third floor or higher): enter the protected room (mamad) and leave the door and window open.
- If there is no mamad: go to the stairwell and, if possible, keep going down until you are out of the building. Do not use the elevator.
- Only if none of these is possible: sit in an inner corner of the room or under heavy furniture, and protect your head with your hands.
Outdoors
Stay in the open, away from buildings, trees, power lines and things that could fall.
Driving
Stop at the side of the road at once and wait inside the vehicle until the shaking stops: the vehicle protects you. Do not stop under a bridge, on an interchange, next to buildings or below a steep slope.
Near the beach
Move at least one kilometre away from the shore at once, because of the risk of a tsunami. Follow the evacuation-route signs. If you cannot leave the beach area, go up to the fourth floor or higher of a nearby, structurally sound building.
Remember
- Do not use elevators during or after the earthquake.
- Do not stand in a doorway and do not go into an underground shelter.
- To protect yourself: drop to your knees, stay close to the ground and protect your head with your hands.
- If you can, take your family emergency bag.
- Go back into buildings only when the Home Front Command says you may. Aftershocks are possible.
How the alert works in Israel
Israel runs an earthquake early warning system (TRUAA), launched in 2022 by the Geological Survey of Israel. Sensors detect the first waves of a quake, and the Home Front Command sends an alert through its app and the sirens before the strong shaking arrives.
The warning is short: a few seconds to a few tens of seconds, depending on your distance from the epicentre. Close to the epicentre there may be no warning before the shaking, so treat any shaking you feel as a signal to act at once.
The earthquake alert of 11 November 2026
On 11 November 2026 at 11:25 the Home Front Command issued an earthquake alert for parts of the country. At 12:14 it sent the update "earthquake: instructions for returning to buildings" to five places in the Eilat area: Eilat, Eilot, the Shahoret industrial zone, Be'er Ora, and Elifaz and Timna Mines.
Times and places come from the Home Front Command alert history. Alert history by place is available in Hebrew.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do when I get an earthquake alert in Israel?
Go out to an open area at once and keep away from buildings, trees and power lines. If you cannot leave the building within a few seconds (third floor or higher), enter the protected room (mamad) and leave its door and window open, or go to the stairwell. Do not use the elevator.
Should I go into the mamad during an earthquake?
Only if you cannot leave the building within a few seconds (third floor or higher). In the mamad, leave the door and window open. Do not go into an underground shelter and do not stand in a doorway.
How much warning does an earthquake alert give?
From a few seconds to a few tens of seconds, depending on your distance from the epicentre. Close to the epicentre there may be no warning before the shaking, so treat any shaking you feel as a signal to act at once.
How is an earthquake alert different from a rocket alert?
In a rocket alert you enter a protected space and close it. In an earthquake the safest place is an open area, and if you do enter the mamad you leave its door and window open.
Source: Home Front Command, Behavior Guidelines During an Earthquake (Hebrew original: הנחיות התנהגות בעת רעידת אדמה), checked 11 November 2026. Where this page and the Home Front Command differ, the Home Front Command is right.