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- Israel-Hamas war
- El Al reinstates discount shipping for war donations following outcry
El Al reinstates discount shipping for war donations following outcry
Registered charities will once again be able to ship donation bags for $50, a significant discount from the regular $200 fee. However, individual passengers will not be eligible for discounted rates
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![El Al airplanes at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel.](https://cdn.i24news.tv/uploads/53/1d/86/e3/df/ad/57/c8/ea/d4/e0/85/dd/86/50/e9/531d86e3dfad57c8ead4e085dd8650e9.jpg?width=1000)
El Al Airlines has announced the reinstatement of steeply discounted shipping rates for donations supporting the Israeli war effort, just days after initially planning to end the program.
This decision comes in response to widespread public backlash sparked by reports from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA).
Registered charities will once again be able to ship donation bags for $50, a significant discount from the regular $200 fee. However, individual passengers will not be eligible for the discounted rate. El Al conveyed this update to JTA, Israel’s Channel 12, and directly to the charities involved.
![Official handout photo](https://cdn.i24news.tv/uploads/39/04/d5/75/d1/25/c1/f8/e5/e1/22/6f/46/ea/70/9c/3904d575d125c1f8e5e1226f46ea709c.jpg?width=750)
El Al, which recently reported record profits, has facilitated the shipment of tens of thousands of duffel bags filled with critical items for Israeli combat soldiers since the outbreak of hostilities on October 7.
These items include tactical boots, helmets, flashlights, rifle scopes, drones, and clothing. The airline had initially planned to cease the discount program, citing a decline in emergency needs and the high costs associated with shipping the bags.
![Yossi Aloni/FLASH90](https://cdn.i24news.tv/uploads/bc/a2/a4/1e/93/3b/45/db/6c/f8/d2/cf/c9/42/f8/73/bca2a41e933b45db6cf8d2cfc942f873.jpg?width=750)
Despite a slowdown in donations, the demand among soldiers remains high, according to recent reports. Volunteers organizing these shipments have emphasized the significant impact of the discounted rates.
Adi Vaxman, who leads the New Jersey-based charity Operation Israel, highlighted the importance of the discount. Vaxman has 45 donation bags ready for shipment and is awaiting El Al to update its staff and systems at Newark Liberty International Airport about the policy change.
![Official handout photo](https://cdn.i24news.tv/uploads/c0/95/16/7c/ce/28/81/25/66/88/85/db/ba/2d/35/4c/c095167cce288125668885dbba2d354c.jpg?width=750)
“If it’s $50 per bag, it’s $2,250 and if it’s $200, that’s $9,000 that I have to pay just to get these bags to Israel,” Vaxman said.
“For that difference, I can buy 143 ratchet tourniquets, which are tourniquets that the soldiers can apply to themselves and stop bleeding. Sometimes there’s one medic and six or more injured soldiers and the medic can’t get to everybody so people are losing limbs or bleeding to death.”
![Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90](https://cdn.i24news.tv/uploads/79/4c/15/22/e8/c3/7b/1a/a8/24/3e/c9/c3/12/4c/27/794c1522e8c37b1aa8243ec9c3124c27.jpg?width=750)
Vaxman also pointed out the growing challenge of raising funds. "It’s become very difficult to raise donations,” she noted. “People are tired, there’s donor fatigue, people are moving on to other things. The donors are kind of tapped out.”
El Al’s decision to reinstate the discount is a crucial support measure as the volume of donations has decreased. Vaxman’s charity, for instance, saw monthly donations plummet from $1 million shortly after October 7 to $200,000 or less currently.