SMS in Israel: A Developer's Guide to Sending SMS to Israeli Numbers

This guide covers what developers and product teams outside Israel need to know before sending SMS to Israeli mobile numbers: number formats, Hebrew encoding and message length, sender IDs, local timing, delivery reports, OTP messages and replies. It is written by Global SMS, an Israeli bulk SMS platform and SMS gateway API operated by Global SMS Ltd. in Haifa.

Israeli mobile number format

Israeli mobile numbers begin with 05 and have 10 digits in local format. To send from an international system, use E.164 format: remove the leading 0 and add the country code 972.

Not every number that starts with 05 is an Israeli mobile number. The Israeli mobile prefixes are 050, 051, 052, 053, 054, 055 and 058. The prefixes 056 and 059 belong to Palestinian mobile networks that share the +972 country code, and 057 is no longer in use. A validation pattern that accepts all three forms above (after stripping spaces and dashes) and only the Israeli mobile prefixes:

^(?:\+972|972|0)(?:50|51|52|53|54|55|58)\d{7}$

Avoid a character range such as 05[0-9]: it also accepts the 056, 057 and 059 prefixes.

Israel has mobile number portability, so the prefix does not reliably tell you which carrier a number belongs to. Store numbers in one normalized format to avoid sending the same message twice to the same person.

Hebrew SMS encoding and message length

SMS uses two main encodings. GSM-7 covers Latin letters, digits and basic symbols. Everything else – Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and emoji – is sent in Unicode (UCS-2), which fits fewer characters per message. A single character outside the GSM-7 set switches the whole message to Unicode.

A long message is sent as a chain of segments and shown to the recipient as one continuous message. On Global SMS, one message unit covers up to three segments – 201 characters in Hebrew or 459 in English – and longer text is billed as an additional unit. You can check a draft with the character counter (Hebrew interface).

Practical tips for Hebrew messages

• Right-to-left display is handled by the phone. Hebrew text with English words, numbers and links displays correctly; you do not need to add direction marks.
• Watch for invisible characters. Text copied from word processors can contain invisible direction marks or special spaces. They count as characters and can push a message into an extra segment.
• Watch English messages too. Curly quotes, long dashes and emoji are outside GSM-7 and switch an English message to Unicode, cutting its length from 160 to 70 characters.
• Keep links short. A full URL with tracking parameters can take a large share of a 201-character Hebrew message; use a short link.

Sender ID options in Israel

The sender ID is what recipients see in the "From" field. On Global SMS there are three types:

An alphanumeric sender name is set up after a verification process that matches it to your brand or company, and is subject to regulation and Israeli mobile carrier rules. If you need replies, use a mobile number or a virtual number. When an alphanumeric sender is used for marketing, include an unsubscribe link in the message body, since recipients cannot reply to it.

When to send: time zone, weekend and holidays

• Time zone: Israel uses Asia/Jerusalem – UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer. Daylight saving dates do not always match Europe or the US, so schedule by the IANA time zone rather than a fixed UTC offset.
• Weekend: the Israeli weekend is Friday and Saturday. Shabbat begins on Friday evening and ends on Saturday night; the business week runs Sunday to Thursday.
• Holidays: Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, so their Gregorian dates change every year. Check the dates before scheduling campaigns in September–October and in spring.
• Hours: avoid sending marketing messages late at night or early in the morning. Transactional messages such as OTP codes are sent whenever the user requests them.

Messages can be scheduled for a future date and time from the Global SMS dashboard or through the API, and scheduled messages can be cancelled through the API.

Delivery reports (DLR)

The first response from an SMS provider usually only confirms that the request was accepted into the sending queue – not that the message reached the handset. A delivery report (DLR) arrives later, after the mobile network reports what actually happened. Status names differ between providers, but the common ones are:

• Delivered – the message reached the recipient's device.
• Failed – for example an invalid number, a device switched off for a long time, or a block on the network.
• Pending – no final confirmation yet.
• Expired – the message was not delivered within the validity window.

On Global SMS, delivery reports are retrieved through the API by polling for the status of each message. Whatever method you use, add a fallback: if no final status arrives within a reasonable time, treat the message as not delivered and let the user try again.

OTP and verification codes

A one-time password (OTP) is a short code – usually four to six digits – sent for single use and for a limited time, to prove that the user holds the phone number. What to include in the message:

• The code near the start, so it is visible in the lock-screen preview.
• The service name, so the user knows which system the code belongs to.
• The purpose – for example "to reset your password".
• The validity period – for example "valid for 5 minutes".
• No link. Verification messages with links train users to tap links in messages that ask for verification.

[Service name]: 458213 is your password reset code. Valid for 5 minutes. Didn't request it? Ignore this message.

Global SMS sends OTP and operational messages with top-priority routing directly to Israeli mobile carriers, separately from bulk marketing traffic; OTP messages typically reach the handset within 2 to 5 seconds.

Replies, virtual numbers and keywords

• Virtual numbers: rent a number with no commitment period, send from it, and receive every reply in your account – or forward replies to your CRM.
• Webhooks for inbound messages: replies to a virtual number can be forwarded automatically to your systems.
• Keywords: trigger an automatic action when a message containing a keyword arrives – for example a coupon, event registration, attendance confirmation or a survey.

Consent and opt-out

Advertising messages in Israel are regulated by law, commonly known as the Israeli anti-spam law. Requirements that apply to marketing messages include the recipient's prior consent, identification of the sender and a simple way to opt out. Which requirements apply depends on the nature of the message and the circumstances of sending, so check with Israeli legal counsel before launching automated marketing messages.

Global SMS supports opt-out handling: messages can include an automatic unsubscribe link, recipients who opt out are tagged and cannot be loaded again into any list in the account, and every send is checked against the opt-out list before delivery.

Sending SMS to Israel with the Global SMS API

Global SMS provides a REST API (JSON and XML), a SOAP web service (WSDL) and a simple HTTP GET/POST interface, with SSL/TLS encryption and optional IP whitelisting. API access is included at no additional charge. A simplified example of sending an SMS with cURL:

curl -X POST "https://api.globalsms.co.il/v1/send-sms" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "apiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "sender": "GlobalSMS",
    "recipients": ["0501234567"],
    "message": "Your verification code is: 482910",
    "encoding": "UTF-8"
  }'

Code samples and full technical documentation are available after opening an account. For an overview of the platform, the API and pricing, see Global SMS – Bulk SMS & SMS API for Israel.

Frequently asked questions

What is the format of an Israeli mobile number?

Israeli mobile numbers start with 05 and have 10 digits in local format, for example 050-123-4567. In international (E.164) format, drop the leading 0 and add the country code: +972501234567.

How many characters fit in a Hebrew SMS?

Hebrew is sent in Unicode (UCS-2): 70 characters in a single SMS and 67 characters per segment in a concatenated SMS. On Global SMS, one message unit covers up to three segments – 201 Hebrew characters.

Can I use an alphanumeric sender ID in Israel?

Yes. On Global SMS you can send from an alphanumeric name of up to 11 English letters and digits, after a verification process that matches it to your brand, subject to regulation and Israeli mobile carrier rules. Recipients cannot reply to an alphanumeric sender.

What days and hours should I avoid when sending SMS in Israel?

The Israeli weekend is Friday and Saturday, and Shabbat runs from Friday evening to Saturday night. Jewish holidays change dates every year. Avoid sending marketing messages late at night or early in the morning, and schedule by the Asia/Jerusalem time zone.

How do I know if an SMS reached an Israeli number?

Use delivery reports (DLR), which report whether a message was delivered, failed, is still pending or expired. On Global SMS, delivery reports are retrieved through the API.

This guide is for general information only and is not legal advice. Responsibility for complying with the law when sending messages – including consent, sender identification and opt-out – lies with the sender.