Israel to Reopen Some Schools Monday Under New Home Front Command Guidelines

Israel will begin a gradual and limited reopening of parts of the education system starting Monday, the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command announced on Saturday, as part of an updated defense policy that differentiates between regions of the country.

Under the new guidelines, a restricted number of schools, classrooms, kindergartens and special education institutions will be allowed to resume in-person activities in stages, provided that appropriate protective infrastructure is available.

Officials stressed that local authorities will ultimately decide which educational institutions reopen, based on their own safety assessments and logistical considerations.

Differential Security Policy to Take Effect Nationwide

The easing of restrictions comes ahead of a new nationwide defense policy scheduled to take effect Monday, introducing regional differences in safety regulations depending on threat levels.

Several areas will move from a “limited activity” level to a “partial activity” level, including:

• Beit She'an Valley

• the Jordan Valley

• Samaria

• Judea

• the Dead Sea region

• West Lachish

• the Gaza Strip area

• the Western Negev

• the Southern Negev

• and the Arava

In these areas, educational activities will be permitted only where standard protected spaces are available and reachable within the required safety time during alerts.

The updated policy also allows:

• gatherings of up to 50 people outdoors

• up to 100 people indoors

• workplace activity where employees can reach a protected area during rocket alerts

Ashkelon Mayor: Classes Will Not Resume Yet

Despite the easing of restrictions, Tomer Glam, mayor of Ashkelon, announced that schools in the city will not reopen on Monday.

“As we said, we will not take any risks with our children,” Glam said in a statement. “The safety of students in the city is above all else.”

He warned that the security threat remains active.

“Despite the easing, the threat still exists, warnings continue and launches continue,” he said. “We saw what happened in Eilat after two weeks of silence.”

Glam added that schools would reopen only when authorities are confident that students can study safely under protected conditions.

In communities near the Gaza Envelope, educational activities will also be allowed only in locations with immediate access to standard protected spaces.

Security officials said warning sirens may still occur in these areas, though the probability is expected to be lower than in regions currently classified as high-risk.

The Home Front Command said the updated policy was coordinated with relevant government ministries.

New Technology Aims to Reduce Early Warnings

Alongside preparations for reopening schools, the Home Front Command has spent the past two weeks testing new technologies designed to refine Israel’s public alert system.

The goal is to make warnings more geographically precise, particularly in areas that previously received early warnings but ultimately did not experience rocket sirens.

According to military officials, the initiative is expected to reduce early warning alerts by about 30%.

The decision was approved by Shai Klapper, commander of the Home Front Command, following operational research and analysis of battlefield data.

The Israel Ministry of Education clarified that no in-person classes would take place nationwide on Sunday, and that the differential reopening plan will begin Monday.

Only municipalities classified as “yellow” areas under the Home Front Command’s threat map will be eligible to resume frontal classes.

Authorities classified as “red” areas will continue with remote learning until further notice.

The reopening of schools in each eligible municipality will depend on:

• the availability of protected spaces

• the readiness of local authorities

• local security assessments

Education Minister: Responsible Reopening

Education Minister Yoav Kish described the decision as a “targeted and gradual reopening.”

“This is a responsible and controlled process that reflects the differences between regions and the security threat map,” Kish said.

He added that the framework aims to strengthen the resilience of students, parents and the education system, which he described as a central pillar of Israel’s civilian home front during wartime.

At the same time, the chairman of the National Parents' Leadership, Oren Ozan, called for closer cooperation with parents before reopening schools.

“We demand that any decision to reopen educational institutions be made in full coordination with the local parents’ leadership,” Ozan said.

He also urged the government to provide protections for families who decide not to send their children back to school due to security concerns.

“As long as a parent must stay home with their children because of the security situation, they must be protected from dismissal and receive full compensation from the state,” he said.

“The safety of children is not negotiable. This is the state’s first responsibility toward its citizens.”