“Challenger 601, 12 seats. $35,000,” reads an advert offering Israelis stuck overseas the opportunity to return home aboard a private jet from Cyprus to Aqaba in southern Jordan. Another ad offers seats on an eight-seater Hawker 800 executive jet flying to the same destination for $4,000 per seat. From Aqaba, passengers can enter Israel at the border crossing near Eilat, where improvised taxis are waiting to drive them back to Tel Aviv. 

Since the outbreak of the war against Iran, Israel has officially closed its gates. Ben-Gurion International Airport is closed and there are no flights in or out. On Monday, Minister of Transportation Miri Regev had some advice for Israelis stuck overseas because of cancelled flights: “Enjoy yourselves,” she told them. “You’re abroad!” Many Israelis stuck abroad, sometimes away from their family, are not in the mood to enjoy themselves. 

Many of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis stranded overseas are seeking to return to Israel, while tourists, foreign workers, relatives of Israelis who came to visit and many others want to return to their homes, abroad. In the absence of any official alternative, unsupervised private initiatives are filling the vacuum, through WhatsApp and Telegram groups with thousands of members, forming a thriving unregulated market.

Improvised taxi drivers are offering rides for up to 2,000 shekels from Tel Aviv to Eilat to Israelis seeking to cross the Israeli border and fly to Europe from Aqaba, Jordan, or Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

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These private initiatives came together in a matter of days. On Monday—less than 72 hours after Israel closed its airspace—several flights departed from Aqaba to Larnaca, apparently carrying wealthy Israelis out of the warzone.

While the prices mentioned above offer a snapshot of the going rates, the real picture—emerging from online groups—is far more varied. One ad in a WhatsApp group, for example, promotes a “full package” for $3,599, which includes an armed escort from Jerusalem to the airport in Sharm el-Sheikh and a flight from there to London. The aircraft has 40 available seats—and demand is high.

Despite the skies being officially closed, two private jets took off this week from Israel, each heading in a different direction: one toward Sicily and the other to Cyprus. It is unclear whether they were empty and were being sent overseas for security reasons or whether they were carrying passengers. Another jet, linked to a Florida-based tech company called Emo Systems, took off on Monday.

The cost of private planes has led many Israelis to look into the possibility of traveling by sea – and dozens of shipowners have jumped on the emerging market. Sailors are offering to ship passengers to Cyprus – a journey of over 20 hours – at a cost of up to 7,000 shekels per person. 

The groups have been inundated with such offers since Friday, with ship owners cashing in, with various degrees of trustworthiness, on the desperation of those seeking to escape to Europe.

Other companies, which usually offer romantic wedding cruises on their yachts or high-seas parties, quickly adapted their business models to the war. The manager of one such company wrote on his Facebook page: “Leaving from Ashkelon to Larnaca. Luxury 53-foot yacht. Price per person: 6,000 shekels. Payment in advance: 1,000 shekels. Balance of 5,000 shekels to be in cash paid upon leaving Ashkelon. Sailing time: 30 hours.”

Prospective passengers are cautioned that the sea may be rough and the vessels overcrowded. Strong winds and high waves are forecast for the coming days, making the journey even more challenging—particularly for those unaccustomed to traveling by sea. One video uploaded to social media shows Israelis with suitcases waiting to board a boat from Cyprus to Israel. “Anyone who doesn’t take seasickness pills will suffer,” the boat captain said in the footage, “You’re better off taking one now. We’re splitting into groups of 12 per boat.”

In addition to the dangers and discomfort of the maritime crossing, scammers are looking to take advantage of the situation by promising a flight or vessel home, only to leave their customers stranded. In one text message, a would-be passenger who supposedly fell victim to a scammer said that he paid 7,000 shekels to a Cypriot company that blocked him as soon as he made the payment.

The government has no plans for foreigners

Even though the latest conflict between Israel and Iran was initiated by Israel and military planning for it began long ago, it appears that the planning was limited regarding the civilian front. Many Israelis expected the government to have a concrete plan for the home front, since there was little doubt that Iran would respond to an Israeli attack on its nuclear and ballistic facilities with barrages of missiles that would target, inter alia, Ben Gurion Airport. 

Jonathan Sklar, the CEO of Emes Travel, said to Shomrim that it also appears that the government has no plan to help repatriate foreigners stuck in Israel. His clients were forced to board cruise ships to Cyprus or pay exorbitant prices to get from Tel Aviv to Eilat and from there to fly home from Jordan or Egypt. “We had one customer who took a small boat and was on the water for more than 24 hours. He told me he was certain he was going to die,” Sklar said. “He was in such a state that he had to rest in Larnaca for a week before he was able to continue his journey home.”

Other Israelis – who are either unwilling to risk a complicated journey over land and sea or who cannot afford the price of private jets – rely on the hospitality of others overseas. As happened in the aftermath of the October 7 attack, expat Israelis and Jewish communities opened their doors to stranded Israeli tourists.

According to Miri Regev, Israelis stuck overseas will return home “in a gradual and planned manner, which will be coordinated with the Ministry of Defense.” Her ministry has entered into an agreement with Mano Maritime, Israel’s largest cruise company, which will operate two lines between Cyprus and Israel aboard its Crown Iris vessel, which can carry up to 2,000 passengers. According to reports in the Israeli media, a ticket will cost between 399 and 650 euros per person and, to begin with, only foreign nationals will be allowed to leave Israel. Similarly, Israeli airlines started this week to register Israeli nationals for flights back home, but demand is expected to far exceed supply and, if the situation does not improve, the whole process is likely to take several weeks.

Mano Maritime has so far been met with criticisms. Gabi, an Israeli living in Britain, said to Shomrim that he tried for hours to book a place with the Mano company. In the middle of the night, he finally managed to purchase a ticket for almost 800 euros. Others got their hands on the precious tickets for more than 1,000 euros. 

But when Gabi arrived at the Ashdod port to return home, he was told that the cruise was reserved for Taglit students, a program which brings young Jews to Israel. 

If the ship is reserved for Taglit, Gabi said, "then why did they allow me to pay, why did they take money from people?"

According to Gabi's estimate, more than a hundred people purchased tickets but were not allowed to board the ship. Gabi adds that other people who tried to board were also forced to take a taxi in the middle of the night - under rocket fire - from Haifa to Ashdod, because they were initially told that the sailing would depart from the northern city.

For now, Gabi is stuck in Ashdod, and he has no idea if and when he will sail from the country.

Shomrim will continue to monitor and update.