Red Color

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Red Color is an early-warning system used by the Israel Defense Forces to warn people in towns near the Gaza Strip about rocket attacks, usually from Qassam rockets. In areas not covered by this system, regular air raid sirens are used.

The system covers the Gaza perimeter, including Sderot. When a rocket launch is detected, it automatically broadcasts a warning to nearby communities and military bases. A female voice says “Red Color” (Tzeva Adom) four times in Hebrew. If attacks continue, a repeating alert tone plays after the voice until the danger ends. The alert keeps repeating until all rockets are detected as shot down or no further launches are found.

Red Color was installed in Ashkelon between July 2005 and April 2006. It was first called Red Dawn, but was changed to Red Color after a complaint from a 7-year-old girl named Shakhar. It was the subject of a documentary about how children cope with alerts.

Since 2014, alerts have been available as an app for iPhone and Android. It was the most downloaded app in Israel in July 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. Users can choose alerts for the whole country or just for their district.

In October 2023, a version adapted for Ukraine was reported to start working in Kyiv to warn about Russian missiles. It became active in Kyiv on July 24, 2025.