Several cities and towns, including Ashkelon, Ariel in the West Bank, and Dimona, have announced they will not reopen schools on Monday, despite being allowed to do so under the Home Front Command guidelines issued on Saturday night.

“We will not take any risk when it comes to our children,” Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam said in a statement published on the municipality’s website.

“Despite the recent easing of the Home Front Command guidelines allowing schools to reopen, the threat has not disappeared. Sirens continue to sound and attacks are still ongoing,” he noted. “We know this is a difficult time that directly disrupts your daily lives. However, the only consideration guiding us — and I am sure it is the same for you — is the safety of our children.

“Although we are fully prepared for any possible scenario, educational institutions will reopen only when we know that our children are truly safe and protected,” Glam added.

Last week, Education Minister Yoav Kisch unveiled a plan to reopen schools in areas designated as “yellow,” or at lower risk of attacks, in a color-coding system used by the Home Front Command, provided the schools have access to shelters. Schools have been closed nationwide since February 18, when Israel and the US struck Iran, launching the current war.

On Saturday night, for the first time, some areas in the country were labeled as yellow, including the Beit She’an Valley, Jordan Valley, West Bank, Dead Sea area, West Lachish (where Ashkelon is located), the Gaza border communities, Western Negev, Southern Negev, and Arava.

The Education Ministry stressed that it would take 24 hours for local authorities and schools to prepare, setting Monday as the first day that schools........

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