Arrival by air
During war times some air-carriers might cancel their flights to Israel.
Our recommendation in these cases is to fly with the Israeli carriers: El-Al, Israir or Arkia. Israeli air carriers will NOT cancel due to war.

The airport is usually fully functioning and might close for short periods (a few hours) in cases of an immediate threat. Flights in this case might be diverted to a southern airport (Ramon airport) from which shuttles will be provided to take the arriving passengers to Tel-Aviv.

Israel Airport Authority: https://www.iaa.gov.il/en/

Arrival by land
If you can't get a direct flight to Israel, you can fly to Amman, Jordan, and cross to Israel through the Allenby border crossing* (About an hour drive from the airport). It has limited open hours, and also might be affected by geopolitical developments, so it is best to check with the crossing itself on the day of traveling. This is a very common way for foreign journalists to get into Israel when direct flights are not available.

The crossing is closed on Jewish weekends and holidays.

Allenby Crossing: https://www.gov.il/en/departments/general/alenbi_morc

*Notice! The Allenby border crossing is available only for foreign and Palestinian passport holders. Israeli passports need to use the Jordan River Crossing (Sheikh Hussein Bridge). Israel Airport Authority: https://www.iaa.gov.il/en/

Press Card/ GPO Card

The local press card – referred to as GPO Card (Government Press Office).

You are NOT obliged to get one, but we recommend it. It is crucial if you want access to official pressers, IDF activities, embeds, etc. It will also allow you access to the GPO WhatsApp group, which will send out translated press releases by the Prime Minister's Office and other ministries.

We recommend registering for GPO card online a few days before arrival.

The cost is 50 NIS (approx. 14 US $)

https://www.gov.il/en/service/government_press_card

**Please be advised that when you register for a GPO card, you are also agreeing to adhere to military censorship rules. The Israeli Military Censor has the authority to restrict the publication of specific news items, primarily related to military matters such as troop movements, precise addresses of rocket hits, or precise details of engagements.

It will sound a siren and notify you when a rocket attack is aimed at your location.

2. Tzofar
Will sound a siren and notify you when rockets are aimed at your location, or anywhere towards Israel.

3. WhatsApp

Almost all official (and unofficial) press offices in Israel distribute information, press releases, including photos and videos via WhatsApp. If, for some reason, you are not using this app, we highly recommend you start. (We can provide services to add you to official WhatsApp groups.)

4. Waze

Navigation application. While navigation apps can suffer disruptions during wartime, Waze will keep you up to date on nearby roads and closed military zones.

5. Gett

Gett is the best app for taxi service. There are no Uber services in Israel.

6. Wolt

If you are hungry, this is the best food ordering app. It is easy to use, and English is available.

For your information:

The rules for travel to Israel have changed. Starting from January 2025, ALL foreign travelers from visa-exempt countries are required to obtain an ETA-IL (Electronic Travel Authorization) to enter the state of Israel.

An approved ETA-IL, indicates that you are allowed to travel to Israel and stay for up to 90 days per visit.

All travelers to Israel must have a valid visa or an ETA-IL approval before they start their journey.

For application and more information: https://israel-entry.piba.gov.il/

President Office – President Isaac Herzog
Spokesperson: +972-2-670-7256
Foreign media spox: Jason Pearlman, jason@president@gov.il
https://www.president.gov.il/en/

Prime Minister Office – PM Benjamin Netanyahu
Press section: +972-2-670-5465
Foreign Media spox: Keren Hajioff, kerenh@pmo.gov.il
www.gov.il/en/departments/prime_ministers_office/govil-landing-page

Ministry of Defense – Minister Israel Katz
Media Department: +972-3-697-5750
International Media Spokesperson: Nina Ben Zagmi
Media desk: +972-50-629-1093
Media dep. mail: dover@mod.gov.il

Foreign Ministry – Minister Gideo Sa'ar
Switchboard: +972-2-530-3111
Spokesperson: Oren Marmorstein, +972-2-530-3555, +972-2-530-3343
www.mfa.gov.il

Government Press Office (GPO)
Head of Foreign Press Department: Ron Paz, +972-2-500-7517
ronp@press.pmo.gov.il
www.gov.il/en/departments/government-press-office/govil-landing-page

IDF Spokesperson's Unit
IDF Media Operation Room: +972-52-920-6610 (For urgent queries)
IDF International Media Desk: +972-52-920-8589
North America Desk: +972-73-386-2104, +972-73-3862128
https://www.idf.il/en/

COGAT (Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories)
Spokesperson: Shani Sasson, +972-3-697-7611/2
Press desk: 050-586-5211
cogat.pr@gmail.com

Police
Emergency number: 100
Foreign Press Spokesperson: +972-2-542-8190
Spokes unit emai: dovrut@police.gov.il

Magen David Adom (MDA, first responders)
Emergency Number: 101

United Hatzala (first responders)
Switchboard: +972-2-500-2020
Deputy international media spox: Elias Romano
eliasr@israelrescue.org

Palestinian President Office – President Mahmoud Abbas
Phone: +970-2-2959928/ +970-2-2981370
www.president.ps/eng

Palestinian Prime Minister Office – Mohammad Shtayyeh
Phone: +970-2-2968989
Mail: Media@pmo.gov.ps
PM spokesperson for foreign media: Asma Marzouq fmedia@pmo.pna.ps
www.palestinecabinet.gov.ps

Palestinian Minister of information – Nabil Abu Rudeineh
Phone: +970-22959928 ext. 105

Red Crescent – Spokesperson Erab Fuqha
Phone: +970-59-9251116

UNWRA (Jerusalem office)
Kazem Abu-khalaf, Public information officer
Phones: +970-2-589-1618, +970-542-168-723, +970-562-940-664

For your information,

The frequency band used for wireless microphones in Israel is now  470 to 506 MHz.

This notice was recently released by the  Israeli Ministry of Communication regarding changes in the frequency band allocated for the use of wireless microphones.

Approximately 20 years ago, public use of wireless microphones in Israel was permitted in the frequency band 794 to 806 MHz.

The Ministry of Communications is allocating new frequency bands for wireless microphones that will allow broader usage than currently permitted, for various purposes—both personal and for events and performances.

The frequency band used by wireless microphones until now is part of the 791 to 862 MHz spectrum, where 4G cellular technologies operate in Europe and soon in Israel, with the band 791 to 821 MHz used for cellular infrastructure transmissions.

To prevent mutual interference between cellular and wireless microphone uses, additional and more extensive frequency bands are being allocated for wireless microphone use. Additionally, the conditions and allocation for use in the 794 to 806 MHz band have been revoked.

However, it should be noted that the operation of wireless microphones in the 794 to 806 MHz band is expected to be disrupted in the future when cellular networks operate in this frequency band. Such disruptions are expected to interfere with the operation of wireless microphones.

We urge importers and users of wireless microphones to comply with the changes in regulation.

More recommended X (twitter) accounts to follow:

Barak Ravid – An Israeli journalist for Axios, CNN, Walla – known for breaking news, particularly on US-Israel relations: https://x.com/BarakRavid

Experts for interview on Israel-Lebanon:

Prof. Eyal Zisser
Tel-Aviv University (TAU) Vice Rector and a lecturer at the Middle East History department and the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies: Expert on Lebanon and Syria
+972 (54) 468-4171
zisser@tauex.tau.ac.il

Prof. Uzi Rabi
Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
+972 (50) 537-5486
urabi@tauex.tau.ac.il

Dr. Harel Chorev
Expert on Palestinian affairs, including reference to Israeli Arabs and Lebanon, the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies:
+972 (52) 861-5566
harel.chorev@gmail.com

Dr. Abed Kanaaneh
Expert on Lebanon & Middle East, the department of Middle Eastern and African History:
+972 (58) 674-1855
abedkan@tauex.tau.ac.il

Armored cars are offered in Israel, but cannot be rented without a driver due to special licensing requirements and police permits. This impacts the rental costs and may also restrict the daily usage hours.

Most rental companies providing armored cars offer a range of Suburbans and vans capable of accommodating 4 to 8 passengers.

Explore the Armored Cars category on our Yellow pages for more details.