Israel operates a unified emergency services system with three primary response numbers. Dial 100 for police assistance throughout the country. The number connects to the Israel Police national dispatch center regardless of location or mobile carrier. Medical emergencies require dialing 101 to reach Magen David Adom, the national emergency medical service organization equivalent to Red Cross operations in other countries. Fire and rescue services respond to calls placed to 102. All three numbers function from any phone including mobiles without SIM cards or active service plans. English-speaking operators staff all emergency lines during standard hours, though Hebrew remains the default language. Response times in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa typically range between 8 and 15 minutes for medical calls in city centers. Rural areas in the Negev Desert and Arava Valley see longer response windows, sometimes exceeding 30 minutes depending on exact coordinates and resource availability.
The Home Front Command operates a specific emergency number, 104, for security-related alerts including rocket warnings and unconventional warfare scenarios. This line provides instructions during active threats but does not dispatch emergency responders. Tourists should note this number appears on public signage in areas near contested borders including sections of the Golan Heights and communities within 40 kilometers of Gaza boundaries.
Emergency medical care in Israel functions through both public and private hospital systems. Public hospitals operate under Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet, and Leumit health funds, though emergency departments treat all patients regardless of insurance status or nationality. Visitors requiring emergency care will receive immediate treatment at any hospital emergency department. Payment processing occurs after treatment stabilization, not before care delivery. Jerusalem hosts Hadassah Medical Center with two campuses, one at Ein Kerem and another at Mount Scopus. Tel Aviv's primary emergency facilities include Ichilov Hospital in the city center and Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, the largest hospital in the Middle East with 1,990 beds. Haifa operates Rambam Health Care Campus, a Level 1 trauma center serving northern districts.
Presenting to an emergency department without Israeli health insurance typically generates bills between 3,000 and 8,000 shekels for standard emergency visits involving basic imaging and laboratory work. Admission to inpatient wards adds 5,000 to 15,000 shekels per day depending on required monitoring level and interventions. Surgical procedures generate separate professional fees. These amounts represent cash payment rates before negotiations. Most Israeli hospitals maintain dedicated international patient departments that process travel insurance claims directly. Visitors should carry physical copies of insurance cards and policy numbers rather than relying on digital access, as hospital wifi networks often restrict guest access.
Pharmacies throughout Israel operate under a rotation schedule ensuring 24-hour medication access in major cities. The rotation system, called "mishmerot," designates specific pharmacies to remain open overnight and on Shabbat. Each pharmacy displays the current on-duty location in its window when closed. Tel Aviv maintains approximately 15 pharmacies in the rotation including Super-Pharm locations on Dizengoff Street and Ibn Gabirol Street. Jerusalem's rotation includes pharmacies near Mahane Yehuda Market and on Jaffa Road. Prescription medications require a doctor's authorization written on official Israeli prescription pads. Foreign prescriptions, including those from the United States and European Union countries, do not transfer directly to Israeli pharmacies. Tourists requiring prescription refills must visit a local physician to obtain an Israeli prescription. Walk-in clinics operated by Terem Emergency Medical Centers process medication requests without appointments, with locations in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheba, and Netanya. Consultation fees at Terem clinics range from 350 to 550 shekels.
The Israeli new shekel functions as the sole legal tender throughout the country, abbreviated as NIS or represented by the symbol ₪. The Bank of Israel issues currency in denominations of 20, 50, 100, and 200 shekel notes, along with coins of 10 agorot, half shekel, 1 shekel, 2 shekels, 5 shekels, and 10 shekels. One shekel divides into 100 agorot, though coins smaller than 10 agorot no longer circulate. Exchange rates fluctuate within a managed float system, with the dollar-shekel rate historically ranging between 3.2 and 4.1 shekels per US dollar over the past five years. The Bank of Israel's monetary committee meets monthly to adjust interest rates, directly influencing exchange rate movement.
Currency exchange services operate at Ben Gurion Airport in both arrival and departure halls. Arrival hall exchange desks typically offer rates approximately 3 to 5 percent below midmarket rates, with a minimum commission of 15 shekels per transaction. Departures hall rates sit slightly worse, often 5 to 7 percent below midmarket. Independent exchange offices in Tel Aviv cluster along Dizengoff Street, Herbert Samuel Promenade, and near the Central Bus Station. Jerusalem's primary exchange concentration sits inside Jaffa Gate and along Jaffa Road. These independent operators frequently negotiate rates for exchanges exceeding 500 dollars or euros, particularly during slower business periods. Banks including Bank Leumi, Bank Hapoalim, and Israel Discount Bank provide currency exchange at branch locations, though service requires taking a queue number and waiting times often extend beyond 30 minutes during morning hours.
ATMs throughout Israel accept international debit and credit cards operating on Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, and Cirrus networks. Withdrawal limits per transaction range from 1,500 to 2,500 shekels depending on the specific bank operating the machine. Bank Hapoalim ATMs typically impose a 2,000 shekel limit, while Bank Leumi machines allow 2,500 shekels per withdrawal. Foreign transaction fees charged by the card-issuing bank vary by institution, commonly between 1 and 3 percent of the withdrawal amount plus flat fees of 3 to 5 dollars. The Israeli ATM itself may add surcharges between 8 and 15 shekels per transaction, disclosed on-screen before finalizing the withdrawal. Visitors should decline dynamic currency conversion when offered, as this feature converts the withdrawal into home currency at exchange rates typically 5 to 8 percent worse than standard network rates. Select "proceed without conversion" or "continue in shekels" to avoid this markup.
Credit cards see widespread acceptance throughout Israel, with Visa and Mastercard functioning at virtually all establishments accepting card payments. American Express acceptance remains more limited, typically working at hotels, car rental agencies, and larger restaurants but often declined at small businesses and markets. Discover card acceptance barely exists outside international hotel chains. Israeli payment terminals frequently require entering a PIN even for credit card transactions, a security measure standard throughout the country since 2017. Visitors whose cards lack chip-and-PIN capability may face occasional rejections, particularly at automated kiosks including parking meters and public transit ticket machines. Contactless payments through physical cards or mobile wallets work at most modern terminals, with transaction limits of 100 shekels before requiring PIN verification.
Israel operates mobile networks on GSM 900/1800 MHz and UMTS 2100 MHz bands for older devices, with LTE networks running on bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20, and 38. The country deployed 5G service starting in 2020, operating on n78 band. Three major carriers provide service: Pelephone, Cellcom, and Partner Orange. Coverage extends across all major cities and highways, with gaps appearing in remote Negev Desert sections and along portions of the Jordan Rift Valley south of the Dead Sea. The Golan Heights maintains coverage along main roads including Route 98 and Route 99, though signal strength weakens in valleys and near the Syrian ceasefire line.