CLIENT ADVISORY: ISRAEL WAR UPDATE – OCTOBER 31

What’s the Latest 

On Sunday, October 8, Israel formally declared war on Hamas following a surprise attack on October 7. The conflict continues three weeks later and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Ports, airports and operations in Israel continue to be impacted by the conflict.

What We Know – October 31 Update

• SEKO’s Operations
  • The situation is constantly evolving and staffing levels at SEKO offices in Israel, for now, have returned to near full capacity. The team, who we commend for their dedication to continued operations amidst this challenging time, is continuing to do their best to maintain the quality of our services.
  • Our team in France is also working closely with large clients and colleagues on the ground in Israel to support where we can.

• Transportation Activity
  • The Port of Haifa continues to operate as usual and SEKO secured a temporary warehouse in Haifa. At the Port, there are restrictions on all hazardous materials. However, there is no prohibition to receive containers with the approval of the Shipping and Ports Administration for the current stock of the port.
  • Operations at the Port of Ashdod are back, but the situation is being assessed daily. Some shipments to the Port of Ashdod are being diverted to the Port of Haifa to avoid delays.
  • The Ben Gurion Airport is operating as usual, and open to flights. The state of airline operations is changing daily, but as of October 25, the following airlines have been active – FX, 7L, 5C, DHL, HU, TUS, FZ, amongst other charter flights. Other airlines have suspended flights until the end of October when they will reassess. 

• Humanitarian Efforts
• On October 21, the first 20 trucks officially crossed the Rafa Crossing with aid for those impacted, mostly critical operating essentials for surgery, water and food.
• Working with existing partners, SEKO already sent a shipment of humanitarian relief supplies weighing approximately 10 tons and continues to actively ship and store food for the people in the impacted region.

What’s Next?  

SEKO's utmost priority is to help ensure the safety and security of our colleagues, clients, and their families in the region. 

Our team is committed to using the full weight of our network and resources where and when we are needed to support humanitarian relief efforts, as well as helping our clients continue operating as the situation and conflict unfolds.

In particular, SEKO is working closely with long-time partner, Airlink, an international humanitarian relief organization, to send supplies to the people in the impacted region as quickly and safely as possible. Please join us and consider a donation to Airlink to support this critical work: https://airlinkflight.org/donate/.

It is our sincere hope that a peace agreement can be reached swiftly to end the tragic violence. 

This is an ongoing and developing situation we are continuing to monitor closely so that we can provide timely updates to those impacted. As this conflict persists, our team is prepared to help find alternative routes where necessary, and further support humanitarian efforts.

If you have questions, please reach out to your SEKO representative, or email us at hello@sekologistics.com.