Over the past week we’ve been checking the tracking on a couple dozen orders we shipped out — and every time, it’s a bit heartbreaking. Most parcels have been scanned, processed, and cleared for export… but none have actually left the country yet. They’re all sitting in a warehouse at Ben Gurion Airport, waiting for space on a plane.

As many of you know, Israel is deep in a war right now. Sirens go off day and night, interceptions happen overhead, and missile fragments fall back down to earth. What’s less obvious from abroad is how much this affects air traffic. In short: most planes in the skies aren’t passenger or cargo aircraft — they’re military jets flying to and from missions over Iran and Lebanon. Passenger flights have dropped to a tiny fraction of normal levels.

If you check the Ben Gurion arrivals/departures board, you’ll see the difference immediately. Instead of one or two dozen flights per hour, we’re seeing one or two dozen per day, almost all Israeli carriers (El Al, Arkia, Haifa Air) or occasional charter flights. (BTW, my niece managed to snag a seat on one tonight. If all goes well she’ll be home in New York for Shabbos. But a lot of would-be travelers are finding it hard to leave.)

How things normally work

In calmer times, express couriers like UPS, DHL, and FedEx (we use UPS) operate their own planes. They’re independent and don’t need to rely on passenger airlines. International mail, however — First Class, Priority Mail, EMS — travels in the spare cargo space of passenger flights.

How things are working now

Right now, the situation is flipped. The express carriers aren’t flying their own planes at all… but they’ve been remarkably resourceful in finding alternative ways to get parcels out of Israel. Surprisingly, their delivery times remain pretty solid.

Israel Post, on the other hand, doesn’t have those kinds of logistical tricks available. At first, we honestly assumed international mail wouldn’t be going anywhere for quite a while. But then we received this hopeful update from our Israel Post liaison:

אנו שמחים לעדכן כי משלוחי היצוא התחילו להישלח מדואר ישראל לחו"ל באופן הדרגתי וגובר, ככל שהמצב יאפשר. בימים האחרונים אנו עמלים על מנת לתת שירותי מיטבי וכבר החלו לצאת משלוחים ראשונים לחו"ל, נמשיך ונשלח בכמויות גדולות ככל הניתן גם במהלך השבוע. המשלוחים יוצאים ברובם בשיטת FIFO (ראשונים להיקלט – הם הראשונים לצאת) עם העדפה למשלוחי האקספרס EMS.

That notice, in English, reads: “We are pleased to update that export shipments have begun to be sent abroad from Israel Post, gradually and increasingly, as the situation allows. In recent days we have been working hard to provide optimal service, and the first shipments abroad have already begun to go out. We will continue to send in as large quantities as possible throughout the week. Most shipments are being dispatched using the FIFO method (first received – first sent), with priority given to EMS express shipments.”

Encouraged by that, we pushed hard to get all outgoing orders processed on schedule — even knowing things would move slowly — because with FIFO handling, getting parcels “into the line” early could help.

Unfortunately, despite that update, we’re still not seeing movement. Even parcels we shipped 10 days ago are still sitting at Ben Gurion.

Our customers’ patience means a lot

The vast majority of you have been incredibly understanding. You know what we’re living with here — air-raid sirens, missile barrages, an entire country half shut down — and no one writes in saying, “Not my problem, where’s my order?” Still, it takes real patience to accept that this isn’t the usual “add a week to the shipping time.” It’s an open‑ended delay: potentially 2–3 weeks of mail sacks gathering dust, then a bottleneck as the backlog gets cleared, and then the regular shipping time on top of that.

A bright spot

Express shipping continues to shine. Reviewing our data, even in the middle of a war zone, UPS deliveries are usually arriving in about 3–4 business days after dispatch. Truly impressive.

Bottom line

We’re frustrated — just like you — to see international mail stuck at the airport with no clear timeline. But at the same time, we’re encouraged by how well UPS is coping under intense pressure, and incredibly grateful for your patience and empathy as we navigate this very unusual moment.

As soon as Israel Post starts getting mail sacks onto planes again, you’ll be the first to know.