Logistics services in Palestine.

Palestine logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Palestine trades mainly by road, using border crossings with Egypt and Israel to reach seaports and airports in neighboring territories. With about 5.4 million people and a coastline of about 40 km, it connects to regional and global markets through these gateways. Shippers move exports such as scrap iron, tropical fruits, olive oil, building stone, and prepared meat, and import cement, raw sugar, cars, baked goods, and perfumes.

Most international movements are organized as cross-border truck traffic combined with sea or air legs arranged outside Palestine. Logistics services focus on road haulage to and from nearby ports and airports, customs handling at the borders, and coordination with partners in Egypt and Jordan, which together account for a large share of imports and exports. Freight forwarders can structure multimodal routings that match this road-based access to global services.

When choosing freight forwarders in Palestine, shippers need partners who understand cross-border road flows via Israel and Egypt, and how these connect to foreign seaports and airports. The country’s exports move mainly to Jordan, Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the UK, while imports come heavily from Egypt and Jordan, and also from China, Germany, and the UAE, so knowledge of these trade lanes is important.

World Bank logistics indicators used as a median comparison show customs, infrastructure, and tracking scores around 2.6 to 2.8, with timing slightly higher, so procedures and visibility may require close management. A capable forwarder or customs broker should be able to coordinate with the Palestinian Customs Police and partner agents across the border, keep documentation aligned for road and onward sea or air legs, and communicate clearly on possible delays and inspection points.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Palestine uses coastal access along about 40 km of shoreline. Exports move mainly as scrap iron, tropical fruits, olive oil, building stone and prepared meat, while imports include cement, raw sugar, cars, baked goods and perfumes. Shippers work with freight forwarders and regional gateways to arrange sea freight, coordinating with Palestinian Customs Police on clearance. Container services rely on regional port connections for both export and import flows.

There are no airports with scheduled services listed in Palestine, so air freight moves rely on airports in neighboring countries accessed by road. Time-sensitive exports such as higher-value prepared meat products or perfumes imported for the local market can justify air when speed or product value requires shorter transit times than road-sea combinations.

Shippers arrange trucking from Palestine to regional airports, then air cargo flights onward to partners like Jordan, Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the UK, China, and Germany. Coordinating border timings, security checks, and documentation for these road-to-air routings is central to planning air freight in this market.

International freight to and from Palestine is centered on road transport across its borders with Egypt, which are about 13 km long, and Israel, which are about 59 km long. These crossings connect Palestinian shippers to regional ports and airports used as international gateways.

Road haulage carries both imports and exports, including heavy items such as cement, building stone, and cars as well as lighter goods like baked goods and perfumes. Because container and air services are accessed outside the territory, planning reliable trucking capacity and carefully timing border crossings is critical for most supply chains using Palestine.

The Palestinian Customs Police is the national customs authority responsible for border and trade controls. Palestine has been a member of the World Customs Organization since 2015 but is not a member of the World Trade Organization.

The average applied tariff reported by the World Bank is about 2 percent. Using the global median as a reference, logistics performance indicators show a customs score of 2.6. For customs clearance, shippers should prepare a commercial invoice, packing list, and transport document, and coordinate closely with local agents on any additional requirements tied to specific commodities or neighboring countries’ rules.