

When the air-raid sirens ring out across Israel, hundreds of thousands of people scramble to the safety of shelters.

Taking cover in safe rooms, bomb shelters, and stairwells can be a terrifying experience for many Israeli citizens, but dozens of teenagers and adults have posted smiling selfies on Facebook to document their experiences.

Sara Eisen, a resident of Beit Shemesh in central Israel, set up one of the group's called 'Bomb Shelter Selfies.'

Hundreds of Israelis have documented their experiences when they take cover with a bizarre set of smiling selfies which they have posted on Facebook

One image shows a pair of teenagers who were forced to go to the air raid shelter in the middle of a pamper session - one of them is wearing a face-mask while the other is dressed in just a towel

In one snap a young woman is shown standing next to an elderly man in his towel with the caption 'Meet other neighbours in the shelter'

'There’s a selfie for everything so I figured why not bomb shelters?' Eisen told the newspaper Haaretz.

She explained the group is a way of 'showing the world that we weren’t letting this get to us.'

At first, she recalls 'I wanted to call it ‘Bomb Shelter Bombshells’' - but her husband told her it was over the top.

The group has hundreds of photos taken from across the state during the past fortnight - many of them showing Israeli citizens smiling and laughing as they pose for the photos.

A girl poses for a photo with her pet dog that she has taken into the shelter

Another image shows a group of teenage girls smiling, waving and poking their tongues out for the camera

Lots of the photos in the group show Israeli's with their pets which they have taken into the shelter

In one snap a young woman is shown standing next to an elderly man in his towel with the caption 'Meet other neighbours in the shelter.'

Another image shows a group of teenage girls smiling, waving and poking their tongues out for the camera.

A family pose for another jovial photo next to the wording 'Lovin this ceasefire.'

One image shows a pair of teenagers who were forced to go to the air raid shelter in the middle of a pamper session - one of them is wearing a face-mask while the other is dressed in just a towel.

Lots of the photos in the group show Israeli's with their pets which they have taken into the shelter.

As well as posting photos users have shared tips on how to keep children entertained during the long hours in the shelters as well as Jewish people from across the the world posting messages of support.

The group has hundreds of photos taken from across the state during the past fortnight - many of them showing Israeli citizens smiling and laughing as they pose for the photos

People cram into a photo which was posted on the Facebook group

A girl looks somber as she takes a selfie in a basement - most of the photos show smiling Israeli citizens

A pair of women smile for the camera after taking cover during an air-raid siren

The photos were taken in safe rooms, bomb shelters, and stairwells across Israel

One user wrote: 'Love how you are keeping safe and finding the wonderful positive attitude and smiling. The Jewish community in the Washington DC area had a rally to support Israel. Be well!!'

But the group has been criticised by internet users who feel it makes a mockery of the rising Palestinian death toll.

One user wrote: 'Guess who has no shelters or any safe spot to be in? Children of Gaza. The little charged phones are saved for emergencies rather than taking selfies... Because guess who controls electricity? Israel.'

Another wrote: 'Meanwhile, Palestinian women and children don't have the luxury of running to bomb shelters when Israeli bombs fall from the sky.this is not war.this is ethnic cleansing.'

But Ms Eisen wrote on the group: 'There are those who allege that the fact that we are smiling / not dead proves that Israelis are not suffering. I will not apologize for being alive, protecting my children.'

The 16-day conflict has claimed the lives of 718 Palestinians, most of them civilians, Palestinian health officials say.