No Refuge: Refugees in Israel Amid War

ASSAF with the Refugee Community
Refugees in Israel Amid War – the war with Iran

** After these lines were written, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, the President of the United States announced a ceasefire between Israel, the U.S., and Iran. Time will tell whether the ceasefire will hold and what its impact will be on the state of war that has persisted in Israel since October 7, 2023. **

The Iranian missile strike on June 13, 2025, marks a dangerous escalation in the ongoing war that began on October 7, 2023. This current escalation threatens regional stability and harms the entire population of Israel—both citizens and refugees.

For the refugee and asylum-seeking community that lives in Israel, the price is especially high: most have no access to protected shelters, critical information shared with the public is not available in their language, those whose homes were directly hit by missiles were left homeless, and those whose income was lost—either because their workplace is inactive or because they must stay home with their children—were left exposed, without employment, income, or support. Economic distress is worsening, and the shortage of food, medicine, and basic supplies is growing. Not only has the economic distress intensified but so has the mental distress: many asylum seekers have survived severe traumas—torture camps, wars, and persecution. The current state of security reopens old wounds and leads to the mental health deterioration of many.

Moreover, although asylum seekers live in Israel legally, some for more than two decades, and despite Israel’s recognition that they cannot be returned to their countries of origin due to the danger to their lives, they are systematically excluded from all aid systems—including national insurance, compensation for war damages, and assistance for evacuees. While we have witnessed expressions of solidarity from asylum seekers toward Israeli society since the war with Iran began, this solidarity is one-directional: being a refugee in Israel today means living entirely outside the social contract. Refugees aren’t merely low on the priority list—they’ve been completely excluded from it.They are excluded from aid systems, erased from public discourse, and left exposed to missiles, trauma, and poverty—without protection, recognition, or support.

Israel is a country built by and for refugees. Many of us are descendants of people who fled wars, persecution, and exile. We know all too well what it means to be a stranger in a foreign land and to try to rebuild life. Our collective memory teaches us the price of indifference. As Jews and Israelis, our responsibility is not only historical but also moral and humane.

The Status of Refugees and asylum seekers in Israel

About 72,000 asylum seekers currently live legally in Israel. Approximately 60,000 of them are under “group protection,” following the state’s decision not to deport them to their countries of origin. Among them, about 23,000 are from Eritrea, 23,000 from Ukraine, 7,000 from Sudan, 8,000 from Ethiopia, and around 400 from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most have submitted individual asylum applications (except for Ukrainians, whom the state does not permit to submit individual requests). Additionally, some 12,000 asylum seekers from other countries not eligible for group protection have filed individual asylum claims that have yet to be decided, and they are also protected from deportation.

Despite being protected from deportation and residing in Israel legally, they are excluded from most welfare services, public health insurance, and any form of basic social safety net. Many live in deep poverty and constant instability. They are employed in low-wage, unstable jobs and struggle daily to meet even their most basic needs. Without recognition or rights, excluded from national support systems, they remain one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations in the country.

• 57% of asylum seekers live below the poverty line, compared to 20.7% of the general population in Israel.
• 85% suffer from food insecurity, and 56% suffer from severe food insecurity, compared to 21.1% and 10.1%, respectively, in the general population.
• Nearly one-third report poor or very poor health, and many lack access to medical or social services.

This reality is not solely the result of the current war. It stems from years-long policy that has abandoned the refugee and asylum-seeking community in Israel to a life of exclusion, at the margins of civil society, without protection or support.

The Impact of the War

The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war did not spare the refugee and asylum-seeking communities. Three refugees are known to have been killed, others were injured or displaced from their homes; many of them volunteered and participated in civil efforts to support survivors. The expansion of the war on June 13, 2025, has deepened the severe crisis facing these communities, as evidenced by the surge in requests for food, medicine, and emergency aid. Several refugee homes were damaged and completely destroyed, and families were left homeless. Since the beginning of the Iranian missile attack, five refugees—three of them children—have been killed, and many others have been displaced without access to stable housing or basic protection.

Key Challenges and Barriers Identified Among the Refugee and Asylum-seeking Communities Following the War with Iran:

• Exclusion from National Emergency Response Systems: Refugees in Israel are excluded from national emergency frameworks and denied protections provided to others. The escalation of the war has exacerbated an already dire situation, increasing their vulnerability and pushing many into a humanitarian crisis.
• Lack of Mapping of Displaced and Affected Persons: Although the war in Israel has persisted for over a year and a half and the ongoing attacks do not discriminate by nationality, religion, or legal status, government ministries have not conducted a comprehensive assessment of displaced and affected persons among the refugee and asylum-seeking communities and their needs.
• Exclusion from Emergency Aid and Support Programs: Despite living in Israel legally, asylum seekers are systematically excluded from government emergency assistance, including financial aid, compensation for war-related damages, and evacuation support. Just as they were excluded from aid and evacuation projects after October 7, refugees and asylum seekers remain outside all frameworks for supporting affected citizens—despite facing equal or even greater challenges. Those whose homes and property were destroyed by missiles have not received compensation, unlike Israeli citizens. Similarly, families who had to evacuate their homes due to the lack of nearby shelters or destruction received no state aid, forcing many to find housing on their own with some even being forced to sleep on the streets. These days, ASSAF is assisting a few refugee families directly affected by missile strikes and left without a home. While most Israeli families in similar situations were relocated to hotels and supported by the state, refugee families had to fend for themselves and are entirely dependent on ASSAF and other aid organizations.
• Loss of Income and Absence of a Safety Net: Since June 13, strict security restrictions have been imposed on the economy, including bans on gatherings, closures of non-essential workplaces, and the shutdown of educational frameworks for children. These harsh restrictions have left many refugees without income. Even in normal times, they work in unstable, low-wage jobs without access to unemployment benefits or other state allowances. Now, they are left without any resources. Moreover, for refugees and asylum seekers job loss often means also loss of health insurance, further limiting access to medical services. As the war drags on, the economic situation rapidly deteriorates. Families struggle to pay rent, buy food, diapers, and other basic products. Food insecurity, already common among refugee families, continues to deepen.

• Lack of Access to Sheltered Spaces: Most asylum seekers live in crowded apartments in old buildings located in underprivileged neighborhoods, without access to bomb shelters or protected spaces. When sirens go off, many have no safe place to hide. This leaves them physically vulnerable and in constant danger. Furthermore, most public shelters are not accessible to people with disabilities (for example, there is not a single accessible shelter in all of South Tel Aviv). The current war has further highlighted the direct link between socioeconomic status and personal security: those with resources often have access to protected spaces in or near their homes, while most marginalized and disadvantaged populations—including refugees and asylum seekers—live in areas with limited shelter access.
• Lack of Access to Reliable Information: Important instructions from Home Front Command are not officially translated into many of the languages spoken by the refugee and asylum-seeking communities. Hence, refugees often rely on informal networks and unreliable sources of information, which increases anxiety and vulnerability in their communities.
• Severe Impact on Mental Health: Refugees and asylum seekers have survived severe past traumas—wars, genocide, and other atrocities that forced them to flee their homes and seek protection in Israel. Many arrived after escaping human trafficking and brutal torture. For many, the months-long war and recent escalation due to the Iranian attacks trigger traumatic memories and emotional overload. Even in ordinary times, their access to mental health services is very limited, and now it is virtually non-existent.
• Increased Risk for Children and Youth: Already living on the margins, children and youth from refugee and asylum-seeking communities are now among the most severely affected by the current crisis. Their primary support systems—school and work—have been abruptly suspended due to the war. Their ability to access online learning is limited, as many lack access to computers or sufficient internet service. Moreover, schools attended by most refugee children do not offer remote learning at all. Without routine or structured frameworks, children are “trapped” in small, crowded apartments, lacking access to safe public spaces—many end up wandering the streets of South Tel Aviv. The war and the stress it generates have a dramatic impact on their mental health, especially for those who have fled wars and torture themselves or were born into families with intergenerational trauma. These children and youth are being pushed further to the social margins in Israel.
• Dramatic Changes in Israel’s Legal and Political Landscape:

In recent months, the war has provided cover for growing legal and political hostility in Israel toward human rights organizations—among them those defending refugee rights.

We are observing legislative initiatives specifically designed to harm refugees and further deteriorate their living conditions. Among the latest developments:

• A bill passed in a preliminary reading in the Knesset imposes an 80% tax on donations to NGOs funded by foreign entities that are not supported by the state.
• In recent months, no fewer than six laws have been proposed that directly target the refugee and asylum-seeking communities living in Israel. One such proposal is the “Basic Law: Immigration”, which threatens to severely undermine refugee rights, democratic principles, and the rule of law. This legislation would enshrine drastic measures that violate the Refugee Convention to which Israel is a signatory, including detention of refugees and asylum seekers, denial of access to legal recourse, and even deportation.
• Severe Financial Impact on Aid Organizations:

Over the past year, there has been a sharp shift in the financial reality for aid organizations in Israel:

• Many international donors have ended their support for Israel due to political considerations.
• Local philanthropy now focuses primarily on war-related aid, with a clear preference for Israeli citizens.
• Amid a sharp rise in global antisemitism, many Jewish foundations and communities have redirected their resources from Israel toward strengthening Jewish communities in the diaspora.
• The worsening political climate in Israel and international developments—including Trump’s reelection—have further reduced available funding. For example, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recently and abruptly ended all support for refugee aid organizations in Israel, including its support for ASSAF.
• The new tax law is expected to significantly reduce the volume of donations accessible to human rights organizations.

To Alleviate the Severe Hardship Faced by Asylum Seekers and Refugees During This Crisis, ASSAF Is Acting on Four Main Fronts:

1. Direct and Immediate Aid to the Most Vulnerable:
   • Emergency War Relief – ASSAF is actively responding to the acute needs of the refugee and asylum-seeking communities, including assistance for families whose homes were hit by missiles and support in finding alternative housing (a service the State of Israel refuses to provide to these communities). At the same time, ASSAF continues to address broader community needs, such as humanitarian aid, distribution of accessible safety information, and emotional support.
   • Maintaining Ongoing Support for the Most Vulnerable Individuals – The psychosocial department team (including social workers, reception staff, community mediators, and youth team members) continues to provide care and support to those assisted by the organization, many of whom struggle daily to survive economically and mentally, even in peacetime.
   • Expanding Support Services Through the Advocacy and Support Center (Reception Services) – Immediately following the Iranian missile attacks on June 13, 2025, and despite security restrictions, ASSAF expanded its reception hours and launched a telephone hotline operating five days a week to provide tailored support for the communities during this time.
   • Support for Asylum-Seeking Youth – Due to the current emergency, the Youth Club cannot operate regular activities in its facility. As a result, individual remote support has been expanded, and the Youth Club team maintains regular phone contact with the teens to ensure no one is left behind. This communication focuses on their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing and is coordinated with the Youth Club coordinator to identify urgent needs and protection gaps. Additionally, the club staff created a WhatsApp group for parents of the youth participating in the club’s activities, through which the coordinator provides timely and linguistically accessible safety instructions and information about available services. The group also helps identify urgent family needs to build a holistic support system for the youth.
   • Needs Mapping and Assessment – The organization is mapping families from refugee communities directly affected by missile strikes, assessing available resources and identifying protection gaps. ASSAF also maintains constant contact with clients in need, checking their access to shelters, life-saving information, and essential services. The mapping includes identifying urgent humanitarian challenges such as food insecurity, unstable access to housing, and economic hardship.
   • Preparing to Expand Humanitarian Aid – Given the severe impact of the crisis on the entire community, especially its most vulnerable members, ASSAF has not only continued routine activities but has also taken steps since June 13 to expand humanitarian assistance to reduce the devastating harm to the refugee community.

1. Ensuring Access to Reliable Information to Strengthen Community Resilience and Promote Safety:
   • ASSAF works to ensure that all asylum seekers and refugees receive accurate, real-time, and culturally and linguistically accessible information:
     • We translate official guidelines, create accessible content in multiple languages, and distribute it via ASSAF’s dedicated Facebook page for refugees, WhatsApp groups, and other digital platforms.
     • Based on our expertise in psychosocial support, we provide materials to help cope with stress and trauma, including information on mental wellbeing, stress management, and supporting children during emergencies.
     • We relaunched our popular community Zoom meetings, held in Ukrainian, Tigrinya, and Arabic. These meetings explain Home Front Command safety procedures and offer tools for coping with crisis situations. While much of this information is also shared in writing, the live sessions allow community members to ask questions, receive tailored answers, and experience a supportive environment.
     • All materials are uploaded to the refugee-dedicated Facebook page and the ASSAF website to ensure maximum accessibility.
2. Promoting Equal Access to Rights and Services Alongside Direct Aid and Information Distribution:
   • ASSAF continues to work to protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees during the emergency. We are mapping needs, available services, and critical protection gaps and raising awareness of these issues and the need for expanded support.
   • This work is carried out through direct and ongoing communication with the communities themselves, monitoring responses from government and local authorities, submitting official requests to authorities when needed, and raising public awareness through print and digital media.
   • In addition, ASSAF participates in public, legal, and other advocacy efforts to challenge exclusionary policies and demand the inclusion of asylum seekers in emergency frameworks and protection programs—just as they are granted to Israeli citizens affected by the war. Our goal is to ensure no one is left without assistance and that the rights and needs of all communities living in Israel are respected, regardless of their civil status.
3. Strengthening and Sustaining ASSAF’s Team Resilience:
   • In light of the challenges facing ASSAF’s team, particularly due to the prolonged state of war and the recent escalation, ASSAF is committed to investing in the personal and organizational resilience of its management, staff, and volunteers. A key focus is on fostering individual and organizational resilience and increasing awareness of the importance of supporting frontline workers.

The extensive professional experience that ASSAF has gained in emergency response has enabled the organization to rapidly adapt its activities to the new escalation and to make optimal use of its resources to assist the refugee and asylum-seeking communities during this difficult time. However, the recent escalation of the war, the total neglect by authorities of refugees affected by the Iranian attack, and the legal and political developments targeting the refugee community and human rights organizations have further exacerbated the distress of refugee communities and severely undermined the ability of organizations supporting them to provide aid and protection.

ASSAF itself has experienced a sudden and significant decline in available resources. As a direct result of these combined developments, the continued operation of the organization’s core programs—emergency humanitarian aid, psychosocial support, para-legal services, and public advocacy—is under real threat. All these programs serve as critical lifelines for the refugee and asylum-seeking communities in Israel.

As the war continues, the damage will only intensify. Without urgent intervention, these vulnerable communities face the risk of a severe humanitarian crisis, as was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and following October 7. The State of Israel must immediately include refugees and asylum seekers in all emergency and recovery plans and provide them with economic assistance, housing support and access to health and welfare services.

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ASSAF – Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel is a non-profit organization committed to assisting refugees and asylum seekers, grounded in the belief that Israeli society bears a historical responsibility toward them. Since 2007, ASSAF has worked on two main levels: providing psychosocial support and humanitarian aid to refugees and asylum seekers and promoting their rights through public awareness and advocacy with state authorities.

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Our hearts are with the bereaved families and those whose loved ones are injured, missing, or held in Gaza. We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and the safe return of all the hostages. Our hearts are with those who have lost their homes, and we wish for a quick recovery and rebuilding. In these difficult times, we hold on to hope—for quieter days, for peace, justice, solidarity, and safety for all.

Now, more than ever, we need you with us.
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