Registry · CEL.TA

Does Cellcom support Israel?

Cellcom Israel

Owned by Fortissimo Capital Records for the parent company are kept separately.

Support documentedupdated 2026-09-26

Yes — Cellcom has documented support for Israel on record, including $950,735 in donations. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Tech companies · Companies that support Israel

Background

Cellcom is an Israeli company, so the question is not whether it "supports Israel" in the abstract but what is documented. The clearest record is its own: in its annual report for 2013 it disclosed donations of about NIS 3.3 million (roughly $950,700), naming its "Cellcom Volume" youth music centres as the focus — a figure TheMarker measured at 0.81% of profit before tax. The in-kind record runs from Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002, when it put chargers, replacement batteries and free call-home stations into the field for some 20,000 called-up reservists, through about 500 meals a day for elderly and needy Israelis in the first COVID-19 lockdown in April 2020, to a free year of 5G service for serving combat soldiers announced for Israel's 77th Independence Day in April 2025, valued at about NIS 720 per soldier, which its chief executive presented as thanks to those guarding the country. Set against that are records that are business, not support: a Ministry of Defense cellular tender worth over NIS 40 million that Cellcom won and is paid for, and the UN OHCHR listing at entry 33 over services and infrastructure in West Bank settlements. Its periodic report for the third quarter of 2023 treats the war only for its effect on the business and gives no donation figure or reservist statistics. In the war's first weeks Cellcom TV carried a Magen David Adom donation channel in which the money given was customers', not the company's. In a move shared with Bezeq, yes, Partner and HOT, Cellcom stopped TV and internet charges for the coming month for customers evacuated from the south, later adding evacuees from the north, opened a *5577 line for evacuees and for families of the murdered, missing and fallen, gave all fibre customers a free 1 Gbps upgrade for a month and opened 5G at no cost to supported handsets — measures for its own customers, not recorded here as giving. Our records are a floor, not a ceiling.

Cellcom Israel Ltd. — annual report on Form 20-F for 2013 (US SEC, 6 March 2014) TheMarker — survey of corporate giving, 22 January 2015 Cellcom Israel — periodic report for the period ending 30 September 2023 OHCHR — A/HRC/60/19 database SEC EDGAR — Cellcom Israel Ltd. filing history The Gadget Reviews — 16 October 2023 Poenta — 1 November 2023

Timeline of documented support

20012005200920132017202120252002-04 — In-kind support: IDF reservists and conscripts serving in Operation Defensive ShieldIn-kind support2002-042013 — Donation: Israeli non-profit causes and the company's "Cellcom Volume" youth music centresDonation20132020-04 — In-kind support: Elderly and needy people in Israel, delivered through the caterer SchultzIn-kind support2020-042023-09 — Operations in Israel: Israel (domestic mobile and fixed-line operations)Operations in Israel2023-092023-10 — In-kind support: Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency medical serviceIn-kind support2023-102023-11 — Operations in Israel: Cellcom's Israeli customers and operations during the Iron Swords warOperations in Israel2023-112024-09 — Government contract: Israeli Ministry of Defense / Israel Defense Forces (cellular services contract)Government contract2024-092025-04 — In-kind support: IDF combat soldiers in regular service holding a combat-soldier certificateIn-kind support2025-042025-09 — Operations in Israel: Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem (telecommunications services)Operations in Israel2025-09

Documented support

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
In-kind support2025-04—IDF combat soldiers in regular service holding a combat-soldier certificate
Ahead of Israel's 77th Independence Day, Cellcom announced a cellular line free for a full year for male and female combat soldiers in regular conscript service who hold a combat-soldier certificate: a new line on its 5G network with 50GB of data a month plus 2,000 minutes and 2,000 SMS messages, which the company valued at about NIS 720 (roughly $200) per soldier who claims it. Eli Adadi, chief executive of the Cellcom group, said Cellcom is proud to be the IDF's telecommunications company and presented the offer as thanks to those guarding the country. Cellcom said it followed an earlier offer of free lines to customers with a child aged 8 to 14, and launched it with a television, digital and billboard campaign. This is the corporation giving away its own service to serving soldiers, not a paid contract. The NIS 720 is the per-soldier value the company stated and no total was published, so the amount column stays empty. ice (27 April 2025), News1 (27 April 2025) and Walla (29 April 2025) carry the announcement in near-identical wording: this is the company's own account, not three independent reports.
In-kind support2023-10-10—Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency medical service
On 10 October 2023, three days after the war began, Cellcom TV opened its platform to Magen David Adom: subscribers could give towards emergency kits for MDA teams from the television screen at the press of a button, and Cellcom TV carried an on-screen QR code pointing to MDA's blood-donation collection points. What Cellcom contributed is the platform and the screen time; the donated money was its customers', not the company's, and no total was published. In the same announcement Cellcom gave customers who were abroad extra data, minutes and texts for 30 days at no charge — that is a concession to paying subscribers and is not recorded here as giving. This rests on one Israeli technology outlet's report of the operator's announcement; no mainstream Israeli outlet covering it was found, and the company's own filings for the quarter do not mention it.
One source
Donation2013$950,735Israeli non-profit causes and the company's "Cellcom Volume" youth music centres
In its annual report for 2013, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on 6 March 2014, Cellcom disclosed that it donated a total of approximately NIS 3.3 million that year — roughly $950,700 at the Bank of Israel official rate of 3.471 shekels to the dollar on 31 December 2013 — a sum the filing says includes its community spending. The report names the focus as its "Cellcom Volume" youth music centres, 11 centres and five mini centres across Israel at the end of 2013, giving young people music lessons, rehearsal space for bands and choirs and recording studios, and states that the company treats contributing to the community in Israel as part of its business vision. TheMarker's own survey of corporate giving, published on 22 January 2015, placed the same NIS 3.3 million second among Israel's leading telecoms and technology companies behind Bezeq's NIS 13 million, and measured it at 0.81% of Cellcom's profit before tax, under the 1% benchmark the survey applied. This is the corporation's own money: Cellcom has no separate foundation and the figure is not employee giving.
In-kind support2020-04—Elderly and needy people in Israel, delivered through the caterer Schultz
In the run-up to Passover 2020, during Israel's first COVID-19 lockdown, Cellcom arranged for about 500 full meals a day to be distributed to elderly and needy people until the eve of the festival — a group that had relied on meals from event halls which were then shut. Cellcom turned to Schultz, the catering company that runs its staff dining room in Netanya, and Schultz had already distributed meals to about 1,500 elderly people on top of the 500 a day. Reported by Ynet on 7 April 2020 in a round-up of company and private giving during the pandemic. No monetary value was published and no second outlet reporting it was found, so the amount column stays empty.
One source
In-kind support2002-04—IDF reservists and conscripts serving in Operation Defensive Shield
During Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002, after the IDF called up about 20,000 reservists, Cellcom sent mobile units into the areas where the troops were with fast chargers, replacement batteries and free stations for calling home, and instructed its outlets across Israel to replace soldiers' Cellcom handset batteries at no charge. Ynet reported the three Israeli operators' measures together on 7 April 2002 — Pelephone gave 120 free call minutes, Partner a 50% discount on domestic calls for soldiers in the West Bank, Gaza and on the Lebanese border — so this was an industry-wide move, not Cellcom alone. Cellcom's part was equipment and service in kind; no monetary value was published and this is single-sourced.
One source
Government contract2024-09-10₪40,000,000Israeli Ministry of Defense / Israel Defense Forces (cellular services contract)
On 10 September 2024 the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced Cellcom had won its tender to supply cellular service and devices (iPhone and Samsung handsets, 5G data, eSIM and international roaming packages, and priority phone support) to about 40,000 permanent IDF service members, a three-year agreement worth over NIS 40 million (roughly $11 million). This is a commercial contract awarded through a competitive government tender, not a donation: Cellcom is being paid for equipment and airtime it supplies. The lead came from Who Profits' company profile, which cites the award without a linked source; it is recorded here against the Israeli Ministry of Defense's own announcement as carried by two independent Israeli outlets.
Operations in Israel2023-09-30—Israel (domestic mobile and fixed-line operations)
Cellcom Israel is an Israeli telecommunications operator headquartered at 10 Hagavish Street in Netanya and listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, running mobile and fixed-line segments. In its periodic report for the quarter ending 30 September 2023 it reported about 3.52 million cellular subscribers, making it one of the country's largest mobile networks. It was previously listed on the New York Stock Exchange and filed annual reports with the US Securities and Exchange Commission until 2021. This entry records what the company is and where it operates; it is not a donation.
Operations in Israel2023-11-15—Cellcom's Israeli customers and operations during the Iron Swords war
In the board of directors' report filed on 15 November 2023, Cellcom set out the war's effect on its business: "the war caused a slowdown in commercial activity as well as temporary closure of shopping malls and commercial centers in some areas," cutting equipment sales, and "the war caused a decrease in inbound and outbound tourism, which led to a decrease in revenue from roaming services." Management said it had examined its financing and liquidity and estimated it possessed "the financial strength to deal with the effects of the war." The filing records operational impact and continuity; it does not disclose donations, free service packages or figures for employees called up as reservists.
One source
Operations in Israel2025-09-26—Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem (telecommunications services)
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights lists "Cellcom Israel Ltd." as entry 33 in its database of business enterprises involved in activities linked to Israeli settlements (A/HRC/60/19, 26 September 2025, 158 enterprises). The activities recorded against it are (e) the provision of services and utilities supporting the maintenance and existence of settlements and (g) the use of natural resources, in particular water and land, for business purposes — in a mobile operator's case, principally antenna sites and network infrastructure. This is a UN finding of "reasonable grounds to believe," recorded here with its primary source; it is not a court judgment.
Donations total$950,735

Frequently asked questions

Did Cellcom donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

Yes. Documented donations total $950,735, including $950,735 to Israeli non-profit causes and the company's "Cellcom Volume" youth music centres. Each donation is listed on this page with its date and source.

How much has Cellcom given?

Documented donations total $950,735. The largest single recorded item is $950,735 to Israeli non-profit causes and the company's "Cellcom Volume" youth music centres (2013).

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 16 distinct sources are cited for Cellcom. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-09-26

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