Starting Next Week: The Change Will Apply to All Smoking Products in Israel

Starting this Sunday, August 2, all smoking products in Israel will be required to carry graphic images of smoking damage covering 75% of the packaging. The warnings will apply to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookahs, and nicotine pouches. Marketing without the warnings will be considered a criminal offense with fines of up to 452,000 shekels for corporations. Israel joins about 140 countries implementing similar policies.

Starting this Sunday, August 2, 2026, all smoking products in Israel will be required to carry graphic images of smoking damage covering 75% of the packaging. The change applies to regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes, rolling tobacco, hookahs, and nicotine pouches. Alongside the images, a referral to the national smoking cessation hotline and health funds will appear. The remaining packaging will be in a uniform olive-brown color without logos or marketing elements. Israel joins about 140 countries that already require graphic warnings, covering about 66% of the world's population. The law was approved after a lengthy legislative process of more than two decades, which included discussions in the Knesset and pressure from the tobacco industry. Marketing products without the warnings will be considered a criminal offense, with fines of up to 452,000 shekels for corporations and up to 226,000 shekels for private businesses. The Cancer Association welcomes the move, and its CEO Moshe Bar-Haim said the images create an immediate connection between the damage and the product and may save lives. According to the association's data, the smoking rate for regular cigarettes in Israel is about 24%, and among men about 34%. The rate of e-cigarette users is estimated at about 15% of the population, and among young people aged 16-24 it reaches about 24%. 84% of the public support adding the deterrent images.