Free calls to Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Afghanistan

If you’re a Telstra customer with family and friends in the Middle East or Afghanistan, we know that getting in touch is what’s most important right now, not the cost of the call. That’s why calls are now free from Australia to Israel, the Palestinian territories, or Afghanistan. 

From 12:01am AEDT tonight (Wednesday, 11 October), we’ll be providing free calls to Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Afghanistan to help you get in touch with those you care about. 

Update, 24 October: We have been closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan and know how important staying connected with loved ones is right now. We have made the decision to extend free calls to until 11:59pm AEDT on 21 November 2023.

Update, 21 November 2023: We have been watching the heartbreaking situation in the Middle East, and know that continued connection with family, friends and loved ones is what’s critical for many of our customers right now. To help support you, we’re extending free calls to Israel and the Palestinian territories to 21 January 2024.

Update, 21 November 2023: At the time this offer was published, we also offered free calls to Afghanistan following a series of devastating earthquakes. As the region moves into recovery phase, we won’t be further extending free calls to Afghanistan. 

This applies for both pre-paid and post-paid mobiles as well as home phones and will be free until 24 January 2024. 

Remember: due to the unfolding situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan, infrastructure damage may prevent some calls from getting through.

How to call Israel and the Palestinian territories from Australia

To make calls from Australia to Israel and the Palestinian territories, you’ll need to use the correct country code and follow the dialling procedure. Israel and the Palestinian territories’ dialling code is ‘+970’.

To make a call to Israel and the Palestinian territories from a fixed line phone:

• First dial ‘0011’;
• Then enter the country code for Israel and the Palestinian territories, which is ‘972’;
• Finally, dial the local number. Remember to include all the digits, including any leading zeroes.

To make a call to Israel and the Palestinian territories from a mobile phone:

• Enter the country code for Afghanistan on your keypad, which is ‘+972’. You can get a ‘+’ symbol on your keypad by holding down the ‘0’ button;
• Dial the local number. And again, remember to include all the digits, including any leading zeroes.

How to call Afghanistan from Australia

To make international calls from Australia to Afghanistan, you'll need to use the correct country code and follow a specific dialling procedure. Afghanistan’s country code is +93.

To make a call to Afghanistan from a fixed line phone:

• First dial ‘0011’;
• Then enter the country code for Afghanistan, which is ‘93’;
• Finally, dial the local number. Remember to include all the digits, including any leading zeroes.