Tel Aviv Residents Report Rising Insecurity and Open Drug Use Across Neighborhoods
Tel Aviv residents across neighborhoods like Montefiore, Jaffa's Noga, and Dizengoff Square report a sharp rise in homelessness, open drug use, and deteriorating public safety.
Residents across several Tel Aviv neighborhoods, from Dizengoff Square to Montefiore and Jaffa's Noga district, are reporting a sharp rise in public drug use, homelessness, and deteriorating safety. Once confined primarily to south Tel Aviv and areas near the old central bus station, these phenomena have increasingly spilled over into central and residential areas over the past year, leaving residents feeling vulnerable and unsupported.
Noa, a 31-year-old resident of the Montefiore neighborhood and a mother of a month-and-a-half-old infant, described feeling unsafe even inside her guarded luxury building. "In the mornings, I encounter syringes in the garden beneath my house, and in the evenings, many homeless people roam the area," she said. She recounted incidents of strangers trying to break into apartments and knocking aggressively on doors, adding that the situation reminds her of post-pandemic New York and makes her feel as though the city is pushing families out.
Similar complaints echo from Jaffa's Noga complex. Adi, a five-year resident of the area, pointed to a worsening reality marked by discarded drug paraphernalia, verbal harassment, and sanitation issues in stairwells and public spaces. According to Adi, the opening of a nighttime homeless shelter in Jaffa has contributed to daytime loitering, as individuals have nowhere to go during daytime hours. "They do their needs in the middle of the street or in the stairwells of our residential buildings. It's impossible to describe the odors," she said, criticizing the municipality for allegedly failing to provide adequate resources or responsive engagement for Jaffa compared to wealthier northern areas.
In central Tel Aviv, near Dizengoff Square and Sirkin Street, long-time residents and business owners note a distinct shift, particularly since the outbreak of the war. Yuval Ben Gal, a fitness studio owner, described encounters with individuals tampering with electric bicycles, open drug use in the square, and erratic behavior in public spaces. Naama, a lifelong resident of the Dizengoff area, corroborated the sentiment, stating that while certain urban challenges are not new, the prevalence of open narcotics use at night has surged noticeably since the war began.
Municipal and Police Response
In response to the growing concerns, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality stated that personal security and the enforcement of criminal offenses, including drug crimes, fall primarily under the jurisdiction of the Israel Police. However, the city emphasized its ongoing efforts to mitigate public nuisances and increase field presence. In recent months, the municipality established a dedicated unit for street dwellers within the SELA enforcement division, working alongside social welfare administration to conduct proactive patrols and address resident complaints.
According to municipal data, the city handled 1,263 individuals in street situations in 2025, alongside a roughly 300% increase in referrals for mandatory psychiatric evaluations when warranted. Furthermore, data for 2026 shows 1,825 calls to the municipal 106 hotline regarding street dwellers in northern Jaffa, Montefiore, and the southern part of the Old North, covering issues ranging from public disturbance and drug use to property infractions.
Meanwhile, the Israel Police noted that while addressing homelessness falls under local authority purview, law enforcement collaborates closely with municipalities to boost security. Police reported an increase in indictments within the Tel Aviv District compared to the previous year, citing a roughly 36% rise in drug-trafficking indictments and a 6% increase in property crime indictments resulting from targeted enforcement operations.
