Jawwal eSIM: verify the identity route before ordering
Jawwal says a compatible handset can scan its activation QR code for a local eSIM. Its help page allows conversion of an existing physical SIM at a showroom and says a replacement QR code is needed after changing phone. At the time of checking, it listed 10 shekels including tax for an eSIM card or replacement QR code. Confirm the charge before payment.
Jawwal's digital-identification campaign page says West Bank prepaid customers could activate a new eSIM through an app, website or self-service machine using electronic identity verification. The campaign's 10 GB gift ended on 30 September 2026, so it should not be treated as a current allowance. More importantly, Jawwal's standard eSIM page says a showroom visit is needed to verify the holder's identity and obtain the QR code, and its FAQ describes the mobile number as linked to a Palestinian ID card number. The opened pages do not prove that a foreign passport can complete this digital flow. A visitor should ask a Jawwal showroom about passport eligibility and retain a second data route until the line is working.
Ooredoo lists online eSIM access and passport registration
Ooredoo Palestine says its eSIM can carry calls, SMS and internet and may be obtained in a store, through its website or through its account app. A digital order is therefore published, though the eSIM page alone does not promise a completed foreign-visitor activation before arrival. Ooredoo's separate online prepaid terms refer to the identity card or passport attached to registration, require that it belongs to the actual user and is valid, and allow disconnection if someone else's document is used.
A passport in the terms is a useful document route, not a blanket guarantee that every foreign passport or payment card will pass the online check. Ask Ooredoo which identification fields a visitor must complete, and bring the original passport to a store if the digital process cannot finish. The prepaid terms also say service can be suspended when the line is not recharged within its validity period. Check the SIM's own expiry apart from the data bundle's expiry.
Read the West Bank 3G pass conditions, not just the gigabytes
Jawwal's West Bank prepaid 3G page listed a renewable 0.5 GB day pass at 6 shekels and a 2 GB week pass at 20 shekels including VAT at the time of checking. It offers activation through *999#, its app, website, showrooms and authorised distributors. The page also lists longer recurring and non-recurring options; some include local roaming data while others do not. Read the line's own menu for the actual allowance and renewal choice.
Ooredoo's prepaid 3G page separately listed a general 0.5 GB daily recurring pack at 6 shekels and a general 1.5 GB monthly recurring pack at 15 shekels including VAT. It also lists cheaper WhatsApp-and-Telegram or social-only packs. Those app-specific allowances are not a substitute for general maps, ticket or browser data. Ooredoo's main 3G help gives *660# for activation and *106# or its account app for a remaining balance, and says the 3G service applies only to West Bank subscribers.
West Bank and Gaza have different local network limits
The Palestinian Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy's 2025–2027 strategy says there was no locally operated 4G network in Palestine through 2025, with local 3G in the West Bank and 2G in Gaza. It framed a possible 2026 4G launch as conditional on agreements being implemented. In Jawwal's first-half 2026 company update, the operator still described its West Bank 4G work as preparation. These dated official statements are stronger evidence than an unqualified claim that local 4G already covers a visitor's route, but they do not establish the status of every tower today.
Ooredoo's 3G instructions limit that service to West Bank subscribers and direct Gaza subscribers visiting the West Bank to a store for suitable offers. Do not buy a West Bank 3G allowance on the assumption it will work in Gaza. A ministry monthly report from August 2024 said about 30% of mobile sites in Gaza were active and call-drop rates reached 60%; Jawwal says it continues to expand capacity there despite prevailing conditions. Do not expect dependable service merely because a plan's country list says Palestine.
Understand what local roaming means on Jawwal
Jawwal has a separate local-roaming section for selected partner networks. Its English page says prepaid bundles are bought through the Jawwal app or *339#, with a daily pass valid for 24 hours and weekly and monthly passes for seven and thirty days. It describes bundles for Orange, Partner and Cellcom networks and gives *059*28# for remaining bundle balance. Check the live product and partner before switching data roaming on, because a Jawwal 3G allowance and a local-roaming allowance can be different buckets.
The same page also lists international roaming outside the area, with country-by-country partners and a distinct price flow. A Palestinian line going onward to Jordan is not automatically covered by its domestic or local-roaming data. Similarly, a traveller's home line may treat the West Bank or Israel differently; ask the home operator for the precise location and network. Jawwal's page gives 23 agorot per MB without a local-roaming bundle for most prepaid plans, excluding VAT at the time checked. That is a published operator tariff, not a safe price assumption for every plan.
Carry the route offline through crossings and checkpoints
The UK government's Palestine entry guidance says Israeli authorities control entry to Palestine and that a passport and Israeli immigration slip may be needed when crossing. It reports unpredictable West Bank checkpoint opening and closure times, and land crossings to Jordan can close at short notice. Mobile data or a live map does not solve a closed crossing. Keep the entry document, accommodation address, onward booking and the relevant contact number accessible without internet.
The same guidance describes restrictions on entry to and exit from Gaza and says the Rafah crossing regularly closes with no warning and for long periods. A data plan does not confer permission to travel. Check current official travel and crossing information before moving between Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jericho, and tell the next host about changes to the route. The UK government currently advises against all travel to Gaza and parts of the West Bank, with a different warning for other areas; its advice changes and should be checked directly.
Before departure, check that the phone is unlocked, that its eSIM can be installed over Wi-Fi, and that the home number needed for account verification remains reachable on acceptable terms. An eSIM QR code and a screenshot of a map are useful backups, but keep the passport and immigration paper separately.
Keep emergency numbers on a voice-capable line
The UK government's help page for Israel and Palestine lists police 100, ambulance 101 and fire 102. Save those numbers with a precise address and a local contact. Jawwal and Ooredoo describe voice service on their local eSIMs; keep a callable line.
Test an ordinary voice call after activating a local SIM. Jawwal's eSIM help gives 111 for its customer enquiries, while Ooredoo's online prepaid terms say a lost SIM should be reported promptly so service can be stopped. A local contact may be more useful than a web form if the line is lost during a road transfer. Our Palestine plan page offers a further data option to compare after checking route and calling needs.
Networks our Palestinian Territories plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Palestinian Territories, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Ooredoo4G
- Ooredoo PalestineLTE