Suicide Hotlines and Crisis Lines in Palestine

A helpline is a place to talk to someone when you are struggling, before or instead of a crisis. The lines on this page are answered by trained counsellors, psychologists or medical teams, depending on the service. If you are not in Palestine, the worldwide list is organised by country.

What you share is kept private in almost all cases; if a counsellor believes a life is in immediate danger, they may arrange urgent help. What each service costs, and which territory it serves, is set out beside it below, because coverage in Palestine differs between the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, and each operator states its own.

TherapyRoute is a directory. We do not answer calls or messages ourselves, so please use the numbers below rather than contacting us if you need someone now.

CRISIS LINES, SUICIDE HOTLINES, AND HELPLINES IN PALESTINE

Each number below was checked in September 2026 at the operating organisation's own website, or at the government page that announced the service.

Notice an error or a missing service? Please tell us so we can correct it.

Emergency numbers, and what each one covers

Sawa Remote Counseling Center, on 164

GCMHP telephone counselling, for the Gaza Strip

Ministry of Health line 103, for the Gaza Strip

While you are waiting to be answered

If you are worried about someone else

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Emergency numbers, and what each one covers

Palestine runs sector emergency numbers rather than one unified national number, and coverage differs by territory, so each is described as its operator describes it.

Ambulance: 101 (Palestine Red Crescent Society)

The Palestine Red Crescent Society runs the 101 ambulance call and dispatch system. In its own words, since 2019 "101 calls were consolidated through one center in Ramallah serving the entire West Bank", and it describes this system as free of charge. Of the Gaza Strip it states: "In the Gaza Strip, the emergency call system remains decentralized, with emergency centers operating independently and implementing different dispatch systems." The organisation states that it provides emergency medical services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Of Jerusalem, the Palestine Red Crescent Society says the city "has its own local emergency number given the city's particular political context", without publishing what that number is. If you are in Jerusalem, the worldwide list of emergency numbers may help.

Sawa Remote Counseling Center, on 164

Sawa (مؤسسة سوا, the Sawa Organisation) describes itself as "a Palestinian organization established in 1998, working to combat all forms of violence, abuse, and neglect against women and children". Its Remote Counseling Center (مركز الإرشاد عن بُعد) is, in the organisation's own words, "one of Sawa's core programs. It operates a free three-digit hotline 164 that provides initial psychological and social support, as well as medical and legal guidance, through phone calls and online chat. The center serves women, children, and all members of society who have experienced various forms of violence, abuse, or neglect."

Although its focus is on people who have experienced violence, abuse or neglect, the organisation's own list of what the line does includes "Psychological Support and Initial Counseling: Providing psychological guidance on various life issues and offering initial psychological support to callers." Calls are answered by trained staff under professional supervision, and the service also refers and accompanies callers to relevant institutions.

Sawa addresses all three territories on its own pages: "Toll-Free Number from the West Bank and Gaza Strip: Call the toll-free number 164" and "From Jerusalem: Call 1800500121".

Tel: 164 (toll-free, from the West Bank and Gaza Strip)

Tel: 1800500121 (from Jerusalem)

WhatsApp: +972 56-612-1012, which the organisation publishes for reaching it from anywhere online.

Chat: chat.sawa164.org, linked from the organisation's homepage as "Chat With Us".

Email: help@sawa.ps

Hours: not published. Neither Sawa's homepage nor its programme page states when the line is answered. If you call and no one answers, the emergency route at the top of this page is open at any hour.

Cost: free on 164, in the organisation's own words: a "free three-digit hotline". No call cost is published for the Jerusalem number.

GCMHP telephone counselling, for the Gaza Strip

The Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP, برنامج غزة للصحة النفسية), founded in 1990 by Dr Eyad El-Sarraj, describes itself as "an independent, non-governmental, and non-profit Palestinian organization" providing community mental health care in the Gaza Strip through centres in Gaza City, Deir El-Balah and Khan Younis.

Of its line, in its own words: "Free Telephone Counselling is one of the mental health services that Gaza Community Mental Health Programme provides for the population the Gaza Strip. Specialized psychologists receive clients' calls and respond to their complaints and inquires and to educate and counsel them on their issues." Counsellors also assess whether a caller needs referral to one of GCMHP's community centres or to other mental health and psychosocial support services.

Tel: 1800 222 333

Hours: as published by the organisation, 8 am to 8 pm throughout the whole week. That statement appears on a service page dated 2020, and the organisation has not published newer hours, so treat the hours as the most recent it has stated rather than as confirmed for today.

Cost: free. In the organisation's own words, "GCMHP provides this services for free considering the bad economic situation of the people in Gaza and the ramifications of the blockade."

GCMHP continues to publish and describes itself as operating despite the war. Conditions in the Gaza Strip can still disrupt any line, so if this number does not answer, try the Ministry of Health line below or the emergency route at the top of this page.

Ministry of Health line 103, for the Gaza Strip

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip (وزارة الصحة في قطاع غزة) announced this free telemedicine and psychological-consultations line on 20 October 2023, as a response to the war. In the ministry's announcement, the free hotline "enables citizens to reach qualified medical teams around the clock", and the service provides psychological support and consultations for those who need them under the difficult circumstances. It is a health-ministry medical line with a psychological-support component rather than a dedicated crisis line.

Tel: 103

Hours: around the clock, as published in the ministry's announcement.

Cost: free, in the ministry's own words: "the free number 103".

The announcement dates from October 2023 and the ministry has not published a newer page confirming the line, so its current operation is described here as announced. If it does not answer, the other numbers on this page remain open routes.

While you are waiting to be answered

A line that is open can still be busy, one line above does not publish its hours, and services in the Gaza Strip may face disruption. If you are waiting, try to stay with someone you trust, or ask someone to sit with you until the call connects.

If you have anything near you that you could use to harm yourself, put it somewhere harder to reach, or ask someone else to hold it for you. Distance and time both help.

If waiting is not possible, use the emergency route at the top of this page, or go to a hospital emergency department. You do not need an appointment and you do not need to explain yourself well.

If you are worried about someone else

Ask them directly. Asking someone whether they are thinking of suicide does not put the idea there, and it often comes as a relief to be asked plainly.

Listen more than you advise. You do not need the right words, and you are not expected to fix anything.

If they are willing, offer to sit with them while they call one of the numbers above, or to make the call together. If they are in immediate danger, treat it as you would any medical emergency.

Supporting someone through this is heavy, and it is reasonable to want support of your own. Sawa's line serves, in its own words, "all members of society", so an adult worried about someone else can call the same number.

For services in other countries, see the list of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.

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