State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman on Wednesday released a new series of wartime audit reports highlighting significant failures in Israel’s civilian preparedness.
The reports, compiled with data since the Octber 7th massacre, paint a troubling picture of the government’s readiness for a prolonged conflict. They point to systemic gaps and a lack of coordinated planning across key civilian sectors.
One report sharply criticizes the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority, noting that at the start of the war there was no system in place to prioritize the return of Israelis stranded abroad based on their importance to the economy. As a result, soldiers and reservists called up under emergency orders were forced to arrange their own flights home, often at significant personal cost, in order to report for duty.
A separate audit addresses the shortage of foreign and Palestinian workers, revealing that no government body, including the Ministry of Finance, conducted a comprehensive assessment of the long-term economic impact caused by the labor shortage following the outbreak of the war.