No Caller ID in Israel: The Complete Guide (2026)

A hidden number ("מספר חסוי") is an incoming call where the caller hid their number. Your screen shows "No Caller ID", "Private" or "מספר חסוי" instead of a phone number. This guide brings everything together: what a hidden number is, how to call from one, whether you can find out who called, what to do when a hidden number harasses you, and how to block these calls without missing the ones that matter.

What a hidden number is

Every call in Israel goes out with a number. When the caller chooses to hide it, the carrier doesn't pass the number to your phone, so you see "No Caller ID". The number still exists at the carrier. It just isn't shown to you.

A hidden number is not the same as an unknown number. With an unknown number the number does appear, but it isn't saved in your contacts, so you don't know whose it is. The full difference is in private caller vs unknown caller and in the help guides what counts as a private call and private vs unknown calls.

Why people call from a hidden number

Most hidden calls are harmless: doctors, institutions, businesses and service companies that hide their internal line. But hidden numbers are also used for harassment, scams and calls where the caller doesn't want you to know who they are. When the same hidden caller rings again and again, hanging up each time, it's worth knowing who is behind it.

How to call from a hidden number

You can hide your number for a single call with a code before the number, or for all calls in your phone's settings. Full instructions for iPhone, Android and landlines are in how to make a call from a hidden number.

Can you find out who called from a hidden number?

Yes, but not through the phone itself. These are the options:

• Your carrier: the carrier knows who called but won't give you the number on its own. In a harassment case you can file a police complaint, and the police can request the information.
• A hidden number identification app: apps like Traceback use conditional call forwarding, a standard carrier service. You set it up once, and from then on every hidden call you decline goes to the identification server, and the real number appears for you within seconds, with the name when available.
• Spam labeling apps: they identify visible numbers that aren't in your contacts, but they can't identify a hidden number, because the number never reaches your phone. Truecaller and Israel explains the difference.

The step-by-step guide is how to identify a hidden number in Israel. To compare apps, see Traceback vs MaskOff.

How Traceback identifies a hidden number

1. Install Traceback and choose your carrier: Pelephone, Cellcom, Partner, HOT Mobile, Golan Telecom, Rami Levy, 019 or 012.
2. Set up call forwarding once, following the instructions in the app. Full guides: iPhone and Android. Golan Telecom customers set it up on Golan's website, following the Golan guide.
3. When a hidden number calls, decline the call. The real number appears in the app within seconds. There's also a short video walkthrough.

Keep three things in mind:

• Only calls after setup. Calls that came in before you installed can't be identified. Full explanation.
• A spoofed number isn't a hidden number. If the caller shows a fake number, there's no hidden number to identify. What about spoofed callers.
• Changed your SIM, phone or carrier? Set up forwarding again: iPhone, Android.

Every supported carrier and its setup guide is on the carriers page.

What to do when a hidden number harasses you

1. Document every call: date, time, length and what was said. In Traceback you can create a PDF report for every identified call and keep it.
2. Don't answer and don't argue. Decline the call, which is also what gets the number identified.
3. Go to the police when there are threats or repeated harassment, with the documentation you collected.

What the law says and how to file a complaint: reporting phone harassment in Israel. Not sure what to do on the next call? Read what to do when receiving anonymous calls.

Blocking hidden numbers

You can block hidden calls on iPhone and Android, but blocking means the call doesn't reach you at all, and doesn't reach identification either. If you want to block and still know who called, there's a right way to do it: iPhone and Android. A common question: if I block them, can I still identify them?

Phone scams from hidden numbers

Many scams start with a call from a hidden number or from a number pretending to be a known organization. How to spot a scam call as it happens: spot a scam call in 10 seconds and 5 phone scams that exploded in Israel in 2026.

FAQ

Is it allowed to identify a hidden number? Traceback uses conditional call forwarding, a service carriers sell to their customers, and doesn't record calls. It only identifies the number of a call that reached your line and that you declined.

Do I need to answer the call to identify it? No, the opposite. Decline the call. Declining is what sends it to be identified.

Does it work on iPhone and Android? Yes, on both, and also through the web app on your computer.

How much does it cost? You can start with a 3-day free trial. Full prices are on the pricing page.

Is my carrier supported? Pelephone, Cellcom, Partner, HOT Mobile, Golan Telecom, Rami Levy, 019 and 012. Check your carrier.

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By Tom Aflalo, Co-Founder of Traceback · Updated November 2026

This guide is updated when services, carriers or guidance change. Have a question that isn't here? Contact us.