TL;DR: The Israel Airports Authority publishes the list of items banned from hand luggage (scissors, knives, pocket knives, nail files, pepper spray and work tools) and bans spare lithium batteries from baggage sent to the aircraft hold. The 100 ml limit on liquids is published by the airlines: El Al for flights to the USA, and Israir in its own procedure. Power bank rules follow IATA, and El Al allows only one.
This guide brings together what the Israel Airports Authority, the Israeli airlines and IATA publish about hand luggage on flights from Ben Gurion. Each rule is stated next to the body that set it, because not every rule applies to every flight.
Security Screening at Ben Gurion
All passengers flying from Ben Gurion go through a security check at the terminal their flight departs from. According to the Israel Airports Authority:
- Questioning: passengers present a valid passport and a flight ticket or boarding pass, and answer security questions about their flight.
- Screening: after questioning, passengers holding a boarding pass enter the screening area. All hand luggage is X-rayed and passengers walk through a metal detector gate. The area also has machines that detect metal in shoes.
- Laptops: the Airports Authority recommends taking them out of the bag in advance.
- Body scan: a millimeter-wave scanner that detects items on the body is also in use, and passengers can ask for a manual check instead.
International flights: the Airports Authority asks passengers to arrive for security 3 hours before departure.
Domestic flights: two hours before take-off, and no later than one hour before it.
Area W for Hand-Luggage-Only Passengers
Passengers flying from Terminal 3 or Terminal 1 with hand luggage only, who checked in online and hold a boarding pass (printed or on their phone), can use a dedicated screening area, W. The airline checks their other travel documents at the boarding gate. Some airlines do not allow online check-in or do not issue boarding passes, and their passengers go through the airline's regular screening area.
Liquids in Hand Luggage
The Israel Airports Authority does not publish a quantity limit for liquids passengers bring from home. It writes about liquids only in the context of duty-free purchases (below). The limit is published by the airlines:
- El Al, flights to the USA: each container of liquid, aerosol or gel up to 100 ml, with all containers together in one clear resealable plastic bag. El Al writes that liquids, aerosols, gels and creams over the permitted amount are discarded at the security checkpoint, and that it is not responsible for liquids confiscated.
- Israir: in its hand luggage procedure, each item up to 100 ml, all items in one resealable plastic bag, up to 1 liter in total, and one bag per passenger.
El Al adds that the conditions for liquids vary by country, including on connecting flights, and that there may be additional checks at the boarding gate as well.
Medicines and Baby Food
According to El Al and Israir, medicines and special food, such as baby food, do not have to be in the bag. They are presented at security together with a medical note. Israir also lists what is approved in hand luggage: baby food when an infant is travelling with an escort, prescription medicines in the passenger's name, non-prescription medicines needed for the flight, liquid medicines for diabetics, and solid hygiene products such as solid deodorant and lipstick.
Prohibited Items
According to the Israel Airports Authority, scissors, knives, pocket knives, nail files, pepper spray and work tools may not be carried in hand luggage. Sharp objects found in hand luggage do not fly with the passenger. A prohibited item, such as a sharp object or a gas container, found in hand luggage screening is not allowed on the flight.
According to IATA, self-defense sprays such as pepper spray are also forbidden in checked baggage. On the other hand, most usual toiletries in reasonable quantities, such as aftershave and hairspray, are allowed in both hand luggage and checked baggage, and in hand luggage the liquids limits apply to them.
Weapons
Ben Gurion is an area where weapons may not be brought in. People licensed to carry a weapon may not enter the airport with it and must deposit it before arriving, at one of the licensed businesses on the list of the Firearms Licensing Department of the Ministry of National Security. Weapons cannot be deposited at the airport.
Prohibited in All Baggage
Arkia and El Al list materials that may not be carried on the aircraft at all, in baggage or on the body, including compressed gases, explosives, ammunition and fireworks, flammable liquids and solids, oxidizers, toxic and infectious substances, and radioactive materials.
Batteries and Power Banks
The Israel Airports Authority bans lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries that are not inside a device from baggage sent to the aircraft hold, and refers to the IATA rules. According to IATA's 2026 document:
- Spare batteries and power banks are carried in hand luggage only, not in checked baggage.
- Up to 100Wh: allowed without airline approval.
- Spare batteries from 100Wh to 160Wh: with airline approval, up to 2 spare batteries per device. Power banks of this size are forbidden.
- Over 160Wh: not carried in passenger baggage, only as air cargo under the dangerous goods rules.
- Power banks: up to 2 per passenger, each up to 100Wh.
- The watt-hour rating is the capacity in ampere-hours multiplied by the voltage (Wh = Ah x V), and it must be marked on the battery.
Power Banks During the Flight
According to IATA, power banks are not recharged from the aircraft's power supply, not stored in the overhead lockers, and not used to charge devices during taxi, take-off and landing. Airlines may set stricter rules.
Since February 1, 2026, each El Al passenger may bring one power bank only, up to 100Wh, with the rating marked on it. Using or charging it is prohibited for the whole flight, and it is kept in the seat pocket or in a bag under the seat. El Al explains that a battery out of sight in the overhead bin may overheat without being noticed in time.
Duty-Free at Ben Gurion
According to the Israel Airports Authority, the European Union eased the restrictions on liquids bought at the Ben Gurion duty free:
- Passengers to Europe, and on connecting flights to Europe or the USA, can buy liquids, cosmetics, alcohol, sprays and gels packed at the duty free in a special sealed bag, and fly with them on the connecting flights as well.
- On a direct flight to the USA, any liquid product from the Ben Gurion duty free can be flown, provided it was packed at the shop in a special sealed package. At the first stop in the USA, the bag goes into the suitcase.
- The easing applies only to duty-free products, not to products from home or from other shops.
The Israel Airports Authority sets out the rules for Europe and the USA only.
When the Cabin Is Full
According to the Israel Airports Authority, space in the cabin storage compartments is limited. When they are full, hand luggage is sent to the aircraft hold at the boarding gate, and the Airports Authority recommends not leaving valuables, travel documents, medicines, a passport or electronic devices in it.
Sources: Israel Airports Authority, IATA, El Al, Israir, Arkia.
Want to check your flight?