Packages from international e-commerce sites, mainly from China and Europe, have begun arriving again in Israel and those from the United States are expected to soon follow. Israel Post announced Sunday morning that packages from Europe and China began arriving again over the weekend. Shipments from the United States are also expected later this week, following the resumption of civilian flights to Ben Gurion Airport, albeit at a limited pace.
According to Israel Post—which works with Next, Amazon, AliExpress, Shein and Temu, among others—the volume of packages is still limited due to the small number of flights currently landing in Israel. For now, the shipments mainly include packages that were ordered before the war and the closure of Israeli airspace on February 28 and had been waiting abroad for transport to Israel.
iHerb resumes shipping
Efrat Zoe Kedem, who runs the “My iHerb” Telegram and Facebook group, told Ynet that iHerb, which does not work with Israel Post, also has resumed deliveries following outreach from Israeli shipping companies.
“On March 3 they stopped shipping to Israel. Today I received an email from them saying they have resumed shipments, though of course with delays because there is a war after all,” she said.
“I don’t know where they’re squeezing the packages in—on evacuation flights, cargo planes—but shipments are happening. They realized many Israelis ordered from them when stores were closed and overall it’s also in their interest.
“One woman wrote in my group that she ordered from iHerb on Saturday night, the day the war broke out, and she already received the package this week. Everyone is shipping here, but with restrictions: Amazon removed free shipping from some products, and AliExpress deliveries are arriving more slowly.”
'We put pressure on online retailers abroad'
“The more flights that land in Israel, the more packages will be able to arrive, including those ordered after the operation began," according to Israel Post CEO David Laron. "However, as international e-commerce sites note during checkout, customers should still expect delays due to the security situation and the reduced number of flights to Israel.”
Asked how long packages might be delayed, Lerner said: “There will be delays of between one and two weeks, and we hope that will also shrink in the coming weeks. The bottleneck is really at the entry point into Israel. Once the packages land here, our system is operating as usual and has even cleared the shelves. From that moment everything moves much faster.”
Is it advisable to order from abroad now, given the unstable situation?
“In the first days of the war, no packages entered the country. Fortunately, after we exerted significant pressure on online suppliers abroad, they resumed activity and managed to find flights as early as Friday. That’s why packages landed here over the weekend and more will arrive in the coming days. So there is definitely a renewal of shipments to Israel from major international online retailers, and all the big ones are currently talking about maintaining operations next week as well.
“That said, the volumes are still limited. But if the airport remains open, I assume they will find ways to increase quantities in the coming days. Overall, there is a major effort on their part to fully resume operations.”
What are the sites saying? Are Israelis still ordering?
“Yes. Orders have continued throughout the fighting. Israelis placed orders from their living rooms and even from their safe rooms. The merchandise accumulated abroad, so I assume most of it will arrive here before Passover or by Passover. The expectation is that, in the coming week or two, the number of packages arriving will grow week by week—of course depending on the security situation.”
What about exports?
“Packages sent abroad through Israel Post have also begun leaving the country on outgoing flights. Here too, volumes are expected to increase as flight activity expands. From this point forward, unless something dramatic happens, the situation should improve and supply will become continuous, though still with some volume limitations.”
Are all employees coming to work?
“Yes. Israel Post, as an essential service, continues to operate and provide postal and financial services even during emergencies. This includes running hundreds of branches, sorting and receiving packages, transportation, and delivering mail and packages through pickup points, couriers and postal workers. This system has operated without a single day of interruption since the start of the war, including in areas facing security challenges.”
First published: 14:33, 03.09.26