What's Actually Open in Israel Right Now: A Practical 2026 Logistics Guide for Families
By Beni Levin · June 22, 2026
Israel's tourism story right now isn't one headline, it's a dozen operational details that shift week to week: which airlines are flying, what paperwork you need before you land, and which regions are business-as-usual versus which ones deserve real caution. This is the logistics checklist, not the mood piece. We already covered the broader safety picture in How Is the Iran-Israel War Affecting Travel in Israel? and in our direct answer on whether Israel is safe to visit in 2026 - this post is about the mechanics of actually getting here and moving around once you land, as of this writing.
Getting In: Ben Gurion Airport and Flights
Ben Gurion Airport itself has stayed open through most of the conflict, with brief full closures only during the most acute flare-ups. What's changed constantly is the airline list. Israel's own carriers, El Al, Israir, and Arkia, have kept flying close to normal schedules through most of the war. International carriers have been far less predictable: several European and US airlines have suspended and resumed Tel Aviv service more than once over the course of 2026 as ceasefires held and then cracked, with some routes coming back only in the past few weeks.
The practical upshot: don't book a nonrefundable ticket assuming your airline's current schedule will still be intact two months from now. Check the Israel Airports Authority's Ben Gurion notifications page directly, and check your airline's own site again close to departure, not just at the time of booking.
Entry Paperwork: ETA-IL
Since the rollout of Israel's Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA-IL), most visa-exempt visitors, including US, Canadian, UK, and EU passport holders, need to apply online before departure rather than simply getting a stamp on arrival. It's a short form and a modest fee, submitted through the official government portal, and approval typically comes back quickly, but it isn't something to leave for the airport counter. Build it into your pre-trip checklist the same week you book flights.
What's Actually Running Normally
Despite the headlines, the core of the country's tourism infrastructure has kept functioning. Masada and the Dead Sea have continued to draw day-trip groups through most of 2026, cable cars and sunrise hikes included (see our guides to Masada with kids and the Dead Sea with kids). The Western Wall and Jerusalem's Old City remain open and active, though this is one spot where it's worth building in more situational awareness than a pre-2026 trip would have needed, particularly around religious holidays or news-cycle flashpoints.
Tel Aviv's beaches reopened for the summer season after a short delay tied to the war and have been running with lifeguards and normal beach life since. The Galilee has likewise stayed largely open to visitors, though the picture there varies more by specific location than in the center of the country, so it's worth a specific check for wherever you're actually headed (our guide to Nazareth and the Galilee covers the region in more detail).
Where Real Caution Is Warranted
Two areas deserve a genuinely different level of caution than the rest of the country: the Gaza periphery communities in the south, and the strip running along the Lebanese and Syrian borders in the north. These are the areas where government advisories consistently flag active risk, not general nervousness, and where a family itinerary has no real reason to go regardless of the news cycle. Outside those specific strips, most of the country, including the destinations families actually plan trips around, has continued operating.
How to Actually Verify Before You Book
Before finalizing anything, check three sources directly rather than relying on any single blog, including this one: the Israel Airports Authority's official notifications page for flight status, the ETA-IL government portal for entry requirements, and your home country's official travel advisory (in the US, the State Department's Israel advisory) for the current regional breakdown. Conditions here have genuinely changed week to week through 2026, and anything more specific than what's written here today could be stale by the time you read it.
That's exactly why we don't recommend booking this kind of trip off a checklist alone. Reach out to our team at Let Travel and we'll walk you through the current, verified picture for your specific dates and itinerary before you commit to anything.