Israel Mandates Graphic Health Warnings Covering 75% of Tobacco Packaging Starting Today

The Israeli Ministry of Health has implemented a new regulation effective today requiring graphic health warnings on all smoking products sold in Israel. These warnings, which will cover 75% of the packaging surface, are designed to prevent misconceptions that some products are "reduced risk." The mandate applies to cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, oral tobacco products, and hookah tobacco, complementing existing textual warnings.

This policy is part of a broader effort to reduce smoking rates, prevent smoking initiation, and encourage quitting. Israel joins approximately 140 countries worldwide that require graphic health warnings on tobacco products. The selected images were developed through a professional process involving public consultation, cultural adaptation, and expert input from public health, communication, trauma, and youth specialists to ensure relevance and effectiveness for the Israeli population.

In the two months preceding the regulation's enforcement, the Ministry of Health reported an over 800% increase in calls to the national smoking cessation hotline and a rise in the use of health fund cessation services. Smoking remains a leading preventable risk factor, responsible for half of premature deaths globally due to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, and more. In Israel, over 12,000 deaths annually are attributed to smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, while worldwide smoking causes more than 8 million deaths each year.

Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, Director General of the Ministry of Health, emphasized the priority of combating smoking and its harms, stating that the new regulations mark an important step aligning Israel with global standards. Professor Sigal Sadetzki, head of the Public Health Division, highlighted the significant health risks of smoking and the ministry's dedicated budget for prevention efforts. She noted that the warnings, combined with cessation support, are intended to be accessible and effective in reducing smoking rates, with hopes for measurable impact in Israel soon.