Israel is imposing near-constant complete communications blackouts on Gaza; WiFi and SMS messages are highly unreliable. Connecting Humanity (@ConnectingHumanity_ on Instagram) is distributing eSims to people in Gaza (as well as refugees in Egypt) to help break this forced isolation. eSims provide people with data, which is more reliable than WiFi in the current situation. Most of the news that you see coming out of Gaza is from people who are connected via eSim. At the beginning of the initiative, only journalists and relief and medical personnel were supplied with eSims; now, Connecting Humanity is able to help ordinary citizens get connected as well.

Organizer Mirna El Helbawi’s twitter (@Mirna_elhelbawi) posts testimonials from people in Gaza, including journalists, who have been connected to the internet through this initiative. The eSims that Connecting Humanity distributes connect people to news. People are able to video call with their family for the first time in weeks or months, to learn that their family members are still alive, to see their newborn children for the first time, and more, thanks to eSims.

Some of this sharing of news saves lives, as people have been able to flee or avoid areas under bombardment, learn that they are on evacuation lists, and contact embassies. eSims also allow people to continue working and studying online.

Connecting Humanity does not accept cash donations, and the QR codes they receive have no monetary value. Many of the eSims I have sent have been activated and used, as you can see in the screenshots below.

If you or anyone you know is currently in Gaza (or is a refugee in Egypt) and wants an eSim, send an email to gazaesims@proton.me; the Connecting Humanity team will get you / them connected.

Which eSims are needed right now?

As of June 12, 2025:

Gaza Online is calling for:

Connecting Humanity is calling for:

Urgent: Nomad (“Israel” plan): code NOMADCNG
Airalo (“Discover” plan)
Truely (“Israel” plan): code TRUELYCNG

For Connecting Humanity:

If you plan to keep your eSim topped up (see below for instructions), say so in the email that you send the team.
If you sent an eSim more than two weeks ago and it is still valid and not yet activated, reply to the email in which you originally sent the eSim.

To determine whether the eSim is still valid, scan the QR code with an iPhone; tap the yellow button that reads “Cellular plan”; when a screen comes up reading “Activate eSIM,” click the button that says “Continue.” If a message comes up reading “eSIM Cannot Be Added: This code is no longer valid. Contact your carrier for more information,” the eSim is activated, expired, or had an error in installation, and should not be sent. It is very important not to re-send invalid eSims, since people may walk several kilometers to access wifi to connect their eSims only to find out that they cannot be activated.
If a screen appears reading “Activate eSIM: An eSIM is ready to be activated” with a button asking you to “Continue,” do not click “Continue” to activate the eSim on your phone; exit out of the screen and reply to the email containing that QR code.
If you don’t have access to an iPhone, see below under “Guide to topping up eSims” on “how to tell if your eSim is active.”

How do I buy an eSim?

If you cannot download an app or manage an eSim yourself, send funds to Crips for eSims for Gaza (Visa; Mastercard; Paypal; AmEx; Canadian e-transfer), or to Gaza Online, who are buying eSims in bulk.

You can purchase an eSim yourself using a mobile phone app, or on a desktop computer (with the exception of Simly, which does not have a desktop site). See below for a screenreader-accessible “Guide to purchasing eSims” through each of the five services that the Connecting Humanity team is calling for (Nomad, Simly, Holafly, Airalo, and Mogo), as well as the five services that the Gaza Online team is calling for (Nomad, Simly, Holafly, Sparks, and Numero).

Send a screenshot of the plan's QR code to gazaesims@proton.me. Be sure to include the app used, the word "eSim," the type of plan (when an app has more than one, aka "regional Middle East" versus "Palestine"), and the amount of data or time on the plan, in the subject line of your email.

If you’re going to be purchasing many eSims at once, see this list of tips.

You can also purchase and send eSims to Gaza Online’s team here (they also call for Nomad, Airalo, and Holafly eSims; again, see the purchase guide below for instructions on how to purchase from each of these providers on mobile and desktop).

Which app should I use?

It is best to buy an eSim from one of the apps that the team is currently calling for (see above).

If the team is calling for multiple apps:

Nomad is good in terms of data price and ability to top up when eSims are near expiry; but eSims must be stayed on top of, as you cannot top them up once the data has completely run out. Some users report that low-data notifications don’t seem to work.

Nomad eSims cannot be purchased on a mobile phone that is not eSim-compatible. Try purchasing on desktop, or use another app.

Simly Middle East plans cannot be topped up; Simly Palestine ones can. Simly Palestine plans are the cheapest available on any of these apps. Unlike with Nomad, data can be topped up once it has completely run out.

Simly is in support of the eSims for Gaza initiative; they are giving free eSims and donating the profits from Palestine eSims to the Tarahum campaign.

Airalo Discover plans (Menalink plans no longer seem to work) can get expensive, but they can be topped up.
Holafly sells plans for unlimited data that are valid for a certain number of days. Data usage is not shown, and top-ups don't seem to work.
Mogo has the worst user interface in my opinion. They advertise that top-ups are possible, but I have not been able to test this yet.

How much data should I buy?

Mirna el-Helbawi has been told that large families sometimes all rely on the same plan for data (by setting up a hotspot). Some recipients of eSim plans may also be using them to upload video.

For those reasons I would recommend getting the largest plan you can afford for plans which cannot be topped up: namely, Simly "Middle East" plans, and Holafly plans (they say you can top them up, but neither I nor anyone else I know of has gotten it to work yet).

For all other plans, get a small amount of data (1-3 GB, or a 3-day plan), and top up the plan once it has been activated and some data has been used. This will minimize risk in case the eSim cannot be activated. Go into the app’s settings and make sure low-data notifications are on, because a 1GB eSim can run out of data very quickly.

Is there anything else I need to do?

Check back regularly to see if the plan has been activated (see below under “Guide to topping up eSims” on “How to tell if your eSim is active” for each provider). Once the plan is active, check once a day to see if data is still being used, and how close the eSim is to running out of data or to expiring; make sure your notifications are on. When the data is running low, or the time is almost out, top up the eSim (see below).

Should I top up activated eSims?

The Connecting Humanity team recommends keeping your eSims topped up once they have been activated. If you intend to keep an eSim topped up, mention that in the email that you send with the QR code.

Keep topping up the eSim for as long as the data usage keeps ticking up. This keeps a person or family connected for longer, without the Connecting Humanity team having to go through another process of installing a new eSim; it also minimizes risk, as people often have to walk for several miles and move to higher ground in order to access WiFi to connect a new eSim, which increases their visibility to the Israeli military.

If the data usage hasn't changed in a week or so, allow the plan to expire and purchase another one.

How can I tell if my plan has been activated and see data usage? How do I top up a plan?

See the “Guide to topping up eSims” at the end of this document on how to tell if your plan has been activated, how to see data usage, how to top up plans, and (for Nomad and Mogo) how to tell when the auto-expiry will start.

What if my eSim has not been activated?

eSims will usually take about two weeks to be activated. To ensure that your eSim can be used, make sure that the QR code you send is a clear screenshot, and not a photo of a screen; and that you don’t install the eSim on your own phone by scanning the QR code or clicking “install automatically."

If the eSim hasn't been activated after two weeks, reply to the original email that you sent to Gaza eSims containing the QR code for that plan. Do not reply to the email before two weeks have passed.

If you purchased the eSim through an app that has a policy of starting the countdown to auto-expiry a certain amount of time after the purchase of the eSim, rather than only upon activation (Nomad and Mogo do this), then also reply to your original email once you're within a few days of this date. If an inactive Nomad eSim is within 12 hours of that date, contact customer service and ask for a credit (not a refund) and use it to purchase and send another eSim. See the “Guide to topping up eSims” to learn where to find the expiration date.

The Connecting Humanity team sends every eSim they receive. Possible reasons for an eSim not having been activated include: it was given to a journalist as a back-up in case the plan they had activated expired or ran out of data; there was an error during installation or activation and the eSim could no longer be used; the eSim was installed, but not activated, and then Israeli bombings destroyed the phone, or forced someone to leave it behind.

An eSim that was sent but couldn’t be used is still part of an important effort and learning curve. Errors in installation, for example, are happening less often than they were in the beginning of the project.

Why are different plans called for at different times?

Different eSims work in different areas of the Gaza Strip (and Egypt, where many refugees currently are). The team tries to keep some of each type of eSim on hand.

Is there anything else I can do to help?

Tell people about this effort, fundraise in your personal networks, and link this guide on social media. Inform people about this effort by posting posters, handing out flyers, asking local businesses to display flyers or booklets, and holding signs directing people to @ConnectingHumanity_ at protests. Here is a poster that is available for download:

Download color poster (18 x 24")
Download color flyer (8.5 x 11")
Download black and white poster

(For a black and white flyer on A4 / 8.5 x 11" printer paper, just print out the black and white poster: the extra white margin space won’t matter.)

Or make your own poster, pamphlet, or protest sign with the url tinyurl.com/gaza-esims, this QR code, to direct people to this FAQ and Guide:

Black and white QR code

The Connecting Humanity team is very busy connecting people to eSims and don't often have time to answer questions. Check a few of Mirna El Helbawi's most recent tweets (@Mirna_elhelbawi) and see if anyone has commented with any questions that you can answer with the information in this document.

🍉 Guide to buying eSims 🍉

For all services:

Do not activate the eSim you’ve purchased, or it cannot be used.
Be sure to send a clear screenshot of the eSim’s QR code. Photos taken of physical screens cannot be used.
App screenshots and exact instructions are for iOS apps.

For Gaza Online:

Upload screenshots of QR codes by filling out the form at https://www.gaza.online/upload.

For Connecting Humanity:

Insert screenshots in the body of the email by clicking “insert photo.”
Include the app used, the word "eSim," the type of plan (when an app has more than one, aka "regional Middle East" versus "Palestine"), and the amount of data or time on the plan, in the subject line of your email. If you plan to keep your eSim topped up, say something like “will keep topped up” in the body of the email.
If you plan on sending multiple eSims in any one app, putting the activation code (or order number, confirmation code, ICCID, or other disambiguating information) in the body of the email will be useful for your own reference (see “Guide to topping up eSims” at the bottom of this document).

🔵 Nomad App

Download “Nomad eSIM: Prepaid Data Plan” from the App Store.

Click “Data” in the ribbon menu at the bottom left of the screen. Click the magnifying glass icon at the top right of the screen to search for a data plan.
Scroll down or search for “Middle East (7)” and click on it (the “7” means that the plan covers 7 countries). (For countries where “Middle East” is unavailable, search “Global.”)
Select a data plan, then click the blue button that says “Checkout” on the bottom of the screen. Enter the information requested. On the next screen, click the blue button that says “Complete purchase” at the bottom of the screen.
You will be taken to a screen asking you to “Install this eSIM on your phone.” To get the QR code for this eSim, either:

Wait to get a confirmation email, and screenshot the QR code in that email.
Click the button at the bottom that says “Add eSIM now”; then, swipe right to get to a screen with two tabs at the top, “Manual input” and “QR code.” Click the “QR code” tab and save or screenshot the QR code.

Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Nomad esim,” and the amount of data in the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Nomad esim 3GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. Get the activation code by tabbing back over to “Manual Input” and copying it (right under “SM-DP+ Address”).

🔵 Nomad Desktop

Navigate to https://www.getnomad.app/ on your web browser.
Click the blue button in the ribbon at the top right that says “Log In / Sign Up” and choose an email address and password.
Navigate to https://www.getnomad.app/en/middle-east-eSIM.

You can also get here by clicking “Shop Plans” in the ribbon menu at the top. In the dropdown menu that comes up, select “Data.” Then, in the search bar in the middle of the screen, search “Middle East.”

Scroll down to select a data plan, then click the blue button at the bottom right that says “Buy Now” to be taken to your cart.
Click the blue button at the bottom right that says “Proceed to Checkout,” then enter your payment information and click “Checkout.”
To get the QR code for this eSim, either:

Wait to get a confirmation email, and screenshot the QR code in that email.
Click the button in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen that says “Manage,” then click “Manage Plans” in the dropdown menu that appears. Click on the rectangle for the plan you just purchased, then click “Installation Instruction” in the center of the screen. Scroll down. Under where it says "Add eSim to your phone," expand the menu titled "Install eSIM via QR code or Manual Input." Scroll down a bit. To the right of the blue button that says "Manual Input" is a greyed-out button that says "QR code." Toggle over to the QR code. The QR code for this plan will appear right under the menu.

Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Nomad esim,” and the amount of data in the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Nomad esim 3GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. Get the activation code by tabbing back over from “QR code” to “Manual Input” and copying it (right under “SM-DP+ Address”).

🟠 Simly App

Download “Simly - eSIM Internet Plans” from the App Store.
Open the app. You should be on the “Explore” page—if not, click the house icon on the bottom left of the screen.
At the top of the screen will be a search bar that says “Search for your destination.” Search “Palestine” or “Middle East.”
Select an amount of data (remember that Palestine plans can be topped up, while Middle East ones cannot; it is most strategic to get smaller Palestine plans and top them up once they are activated, or to get larger Middle East plans). Click the orange button that says “buy now.” Enter your payment information and click “Pay” to complete the purchase.
A confirmation screen titled “Your eSIM” will pop up, with three tabs at the top for “Automatic,” “QR code,” and “Manual” installation. You should be on the “Automatic” tab; tab over to the “QR code” tab, and the code will appear under the orange text reading “Here is your eSIM!” Screenshot the QR code.

If you’ve navigated away from this screen, you can get back to it by clicking the icon that looks like a sim card in the center bottom of the screen to get to the “My eSIMs” page; then, at the bottom right of the details for the eSim you bought, click “View.”

Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Simly esim,” the type of plan (“Palestine” or “Middle East”), and the amount of data in the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Simly Palestine esim 1GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. Get the activation code by again clicking “View”; switch over to the “Manual” tab at the top, and copy the activation code (right under “SM-DP+ Address”).

🟠 Simly Desktop

Simly eSims cannot be purchased on desktop at this time.

🟢 Truely App

Download “Truely - Travel eSIM & Data” from the App Store.
Open the app. Checkout does not seem to work unless you sign in: click “Profile” in the ribbon menu at the bottom and enter your email address and password to sign in; or, if you don’t have an account, click the green text reading “Sign up” at the top right.
Click “Home” at the bottom left of the screen. At the top of the home page is a search bar that says “Where do you need internet?”: type in “Israel.” (Note: to select “Israel” when it comes up, you have to tap the tiny flag icon at the far left, not the text.)
Select an amount of data, then click the green button at the bottom that says “Buy Now.”
Click the green text that says “Promo Code” at the top right, then enter promo code “TRUELYCNG”.
Select “Get new eSIM” and click the green button that says “Pay” at the bottom of the screen. A screen will come up prompting you for payment info; enter your card information, then click “Pay.”
If you just signed up, you will get an email asking you to click a link to verify your email address. Click the green button that says “Verify email.”
You will get another email with the subject line “Here are your eSIM installation instructions.” This email will contain your QR code, under the heading “Install eSIM with QR.” Screenshot the QR code.
You can also view the eSim’s QR code by tapping “My eSIM” in the ribbon menu at the bottom of the screen; tap “eSIM settings” under the plan you want the QR code for; in the menu that pops up, click “View QR & Installation details.”

Send the screenshot of the QR code to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Truely esim,” and the amount of data in the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Truely eSim 3GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for your later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. The activation code is in the bottom of the email, under the heading “Install eSIM Manually.”

🟢 Truely Desktop

Payment is only by credit or debit card.

Navigate to https://truely.com/esim-israel.
Select an amount of data, then click the green button at the bottom that says “Buy Now.”
At this point, you can sign up for an account to link your eSim purchases together and manage top-ups.
Enter your payment information, check the box to agree to the terms and conditions and device compatibility statement, then click the green button at the bottom that says “Buy Now.”
You will get an email asking you to click a link to verify your email address. Click the green button that says “Verify email.”
You will get another email with the subject line “Here are your eSIM installation instructions.” This email will contain your QR code, under the heading “Install eSIM with QR.” Screenshot the QR code.
You can also view the eSim’s QR code by navigating to https://truely.com/my-esim; at the top left of the rectangle containing the information for the plan, click the button that says “eSIM Setting”; in the menu that pops up, click “View QR & Installation details.”

Send the screenshot of the QR code to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Truely esim,” and the amount of data in the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Truely eSim 3GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for your later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. The activation code is in the bottom of the email, under the heading “Install eSIM Manually.”

🔴 Holafly App

Note that you can purchase up to 90 days of data on the desktop site, but only 20 days on the app.

Download “Holafly: Prepaid eSIM Card” from the App Store.
Open the app. You should be on the “Shop” page; if not, click the globe icon that says “Shop” in the ribbon menu at the bottom left of the screen.
At the top of the screen is text reading “Where are you traveling next?” with a search bar reading “Where do you need internet?” Search for “Egypt” or “Israel.”
Select a plan, then click the green button that says “Checkout” at the bottom of the screen. (Remember that Holafly plans cannot be topped up at this time.)
Enter your email and billing address and then hit the green button that says “Continue to payment” at the bottom of the screen. Select a payment method (“Apple Pay” or “Credit Card”) and enter your payment information, then click the blue button at the bottom of the screen that says “Pay.”
Wait to get a confirmation email with the subject line “tu eSIM para Egipto esta lista!” or “tu eSIM para Israel esta lista!” Scroll down to the section titled “Instala tu eSIM con el código QR,” and screenshot the QR code.
Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Holafly esim,” the type of plan (“Israel” or “Egypt”), and the amount of time on the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Holafly Israel esim 20 days).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. Get the activation code by clicking the button that says “My eSIMs” in the ribbon menu at the bottom; then click on a plan and scroll all the way down to “Activation code” (in the section titled “Installation codes”).

🔴 Holafly Desktop

Navigate to https://esim.holafly.com/ on your web browser (for Spanish: https://esim.holafly.com/es/).
Under the text reading “Stay connected wherever you go” is a search bar that says “Where do you need internet?” Search “Israel” or “Egypt” and click the rectangle that comes up.
Scroll down to the menu headed with the text “How many days are you traveling for?” and select a plan, then click the green button that says “Get unlimited internet” at the bottom of the page.
In your cart, click the green button that says “Checkout.” Enter your email and billing address, then click the green button at the bottom of the screen that says “Continue to payment.” Enter your payment information, then click the green button at the bottom right that says “Pay now.”
Get the QR code by clicking “My eSIMs” at the top left of the screen to get to “My Holafly Center.” Click the red button that says “View details and install” on the plan you just purchased. Scroll down to the section titled “1. Install before your trip.” The QR code will be to the right, under the title “Scan the QR code to install your eSIM.” Screenshot the QR code.

You can also get the QR code by waiting to get a confirmation email with the subject line “tu eSIM para Egipto esta lista!” or “tu eSIM para Israel esta lista!” Scroll down to the section titled “Instala tu eSIM con el código QR,” and screenshot the QR code.

Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Holafly esim,” the type of plan (“Israel” or “Egypt”), and the amount of time on the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Holafly Israel esim 20 days).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. To get the activation code, follow step 5 above; then copy the activation code at the left, under the title “Installation codes.”

🟣 Airalo App

Download “Airalo: eSIM Travel & Internet” from the App Store.

Open the app. You should be on the “Store” page; if not, click the icon of a storefront that reads “Store” in the ribbon menu at the bottom left of the screen.
At the top, there is a search bar with text reading “Search data packages for 200+ countries and regions.” Underneath this are three tabs reading “Local eSIMs,” “Regional eSIMs,” and “Global eSIMs”; tab over to “Global eSIMs.” Note that Airalo Palestine plans have unreliable connections and are not used by the team.
Scroll down and select a plan (a smaller plan is recommended, as this plan can be topped up with more data once it is activated). Click the rectangular button that says “Buy Now.”
Click the grey button at the bottom right that says “Buy.” On the “Secure Checkout” page, enter your payment information. Scroll down and check the two boxes that read “By completing the order, you agree to our Terms and Conditions…” and “Before completing this order, please confirm your device is eSIM compatible…”. Click the grey button that says “Complete Order” at the bottom right.
You will be taken to an “Order Completed” page. Click “View eSIM Details” at the bottom of the page.
Under “eSIM Installation,” click “View Instructions.” At the top of the new screen that appears, click the middle tab that says “QR Code.” Screenshot the QR code.
Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Airalo esim,” the type of plan (“Discover”), and the amount of data on the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Airalo Discover esim 1 GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. Get the activation code by tabbing over to “Manual” and copying it (right under “SM-DP+ Address”).

🟣 Airalo Desktop

Navigate to https://www.airalo.com/.
At the top, there is a search bar with text reading “Search data packages for 200+ countries and regions.” Underneath this are three tabs reading “Local eSIMs,” “Regional eSIMs,” and “Global eSIMs”; tab over to “Global eSIMs.” Note that Airalo Palestine plans have unreliable connections and are not used by the team.
Scroll down and select a plan (a smaller plan is recommended, as this plan can be topped up with more data once it is activated). Click the rectangular button that says “Buy Now.”
Click the grey button at the bottom right that says “Buy.” You will be prompted to create an account or sign in.
On the “Secure Checkout” page, enter your payment information. Scroll down and check the two boxes that read “By completing the order, you agree to our Terms and Conditions…” and “Before completing this order, please confirm your device is eSIM compatible…”. On the “Device Compatibility” pop-up, click “Read and Accept.” Click the grey button that says “Complete Order” at the bottom right.
You will be taken to an “Order Completed” page. Click the dark grey button that says “View eSIM Details” at the bottom of the page.
Under “eSIM Installation,” click “Android Device” or “iOS Device” (it doesn’t matter which). A pop-up with “Important Tips” will pop up. Keep hitting “Next” at the bottom right until the pop-up disappears.
In the onboarding tutorial, keep hitting “Next” until the page is no longer greyed out. There are two tabs at the top, “QR Code” and “Manual”; you should be tabbed over to “QR Code.”
Your QR code will appear under where it says “Step 2/3 - Install eSIM.” Screenshot the QR code.
Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Airalo esim,” the type of plan (“Discover”), and the amount of data on the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Airalo Discover esim 1 GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the activation code in the body of the email. Get the activation code by tabbing over to “Manual” and copying it from the section titled “Step 2/3 - Install eSIM.”

🔵 Mogo App

Download “Mogo - Global Travel Assistant” from the App Store.
Open the app. Make an account by entering an email, entering the verification code you will get in your inbox, then choosing a password.
Click the star icon that says “Store” in the ribbon menu at the bottom of the screen.
In the search bar at the top of the screen, search “Israel.” Click the light blue rectangle under the text “eSim.”
Select a data package and click the blue button that says “Submit” at the bottom right of the screen.
Scroll down and select a payment method (Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, or Apple Pay). Click “Submit” again.
Enter your payment information, then click the blue button at the bottom that says “Confirm to Pay.”
A page will come up with the text “Activate eSIM: MOGO would like to activate an eSIM on this phone.” Do not click “Continue.” Click “Cancel” at the top left of the screen.
Close the app and wait to receive a confirmation email with the subject line “Thank you for choosing MOGO eSIM.” The QR code will be towards the top of the email. Screenshot the QR code.
Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Mogo esim,” and the amount of data on the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Mogo esim 5 GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the eSim’s order number in the body of the email. The order number will be at the bottom of the confirmation email, under the section “Moreover, the order details are provided below”.
The order number can also be found on the app by going to “Profile” (the icon of a person at the bottom right of the screen) → “My Orders” (in the menu under “My Devices”) → click on the Sim and look next to “Order No.,” towards the bottom of the screen. The order number cannot be copied from here; if you have a current iOS you can take a screenshot and copy it from the image.

🔵 Mogo Desktop

Navigate to https://esim.ifreemogos.com/.
Click the button reading “Data plan” in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
There is a search bar under the text reading “Where are you going?” Search for “Israel,” then click the rectangle that says “Israel” next to the Israeli flag.
Select a plan. Make sure the dropdown menu to the right under “Activate when” reads “Installed,” not “Date.” Select a device (iPhone or Android).
Enter your email address and click the blue button that says “Send.” Type in the activation code that you receive in your email. (Note that if you already have an account, you will instead have to log in.)
Scroll down and tick the checkbox to “Agree to our Terms of Service.” Click the blue button that says “Register and Pay.”
In the pop-up, select a payment method, enter your payment information, and click the blue button at the bottom that says “Pay.”
Wait to receive a confirmation email with the subject line “Thank you for choosing MOGO eSIM.” The QR code will be towards the top of the email. Screenshot the QR code.
Send the screenshot to gazaesims@proton.me. Include the words “Mogo esim,” and the amount of data on the plan, in the subject line of your email (e.g. Mogo esim 5 GB).

If you will be sending several eSims from the same app, it is useful for later reference to include the eSim’s ICCID in the body of the email. To find the ICCID, log in, then click “My eSIM” at the top right; the ICCID will be at the top left of the eSIM details.

🟣 Numero App

Download “Numero eSIM: Virtual Number” from the App Store.
Open the app. Click the red button at the bottom that says “Create Account.” On the “Registration” page, enter your phone number and click “Confirm and Continue.”
You will be taken to the app’s home page. Click the blue button at the top middle that says “Mobile Data.”
Stay on the “Local” tab. Scroll down to “Egypt,” or type it in the search bar.
Choose a data plan and click the green button that says “Buy.”
A pop-up reading “Supported Devices” will come up. Tick the checkbox next to “I confirm that I have an eSIM supported mobile…” and then click “Confirm.”
Select a payment method and click the green button at the bottom that says “Buy.”
If you chose to pay by card, another page will come up asking to you choose a banking method. Choose a method and enter the required information (I chose “card” and entered credit card information).
Scroll down and tick the checkbox next to “I acknowledge I have read the Terms & Conditions…” and then click the blue button that says “Pay.”
You will be taken to a page that says “Congratulations: You have successfully purchased Egypt (#GB/#Days).” Scroll down under where it says “Important Note!” and click the red button at the bottom that reads “Okay, got it.” You will be taken to a page showing your purchased eSims.

If you have navigated away from this page, you can get back here by opening the app; swiping to the right to access more icons; and clicking the dark blue button with an icon of a shopping cart that says “My Products” at the top left. Then select “My DATA Packages.” Swipe over to the “Not Active” tab to see the eSim you have just purchased.

To get the QR code: Click the green button at the bottom right of the plan information that says “Installation Guide.” At the top will be three tabs: “Direct,” “QR Code,” and “Manual.” Tab over the “QR Code” page and screenshot the QR code.
To upload the QR code: Navigate to https://www.gaza.online/upload. Under “eSIM Provider,” click the gray button with a plus mark that says “Add.” Scroll down to select “Numero_[#]GB_[#]Days_Egypt,” depending on the size of the plan you purchased. Attach the file for the QR code and enter your email. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the page.

🟣 Numero Desktop

Navigate to https://esimdata.numeroesim.com/data-packages/packages#13.
Select a data package and click the red button at the bottom that says “Buy.”
Scroll down past the information about device compatibility and click the green button that says “Buy Now.”
If you are not signed in, you will be prompted to log in or sign up for an account. Enter the required information to sign up, and the code that will be sent to your email. Click “Buy Now” again.
Enter your payment information, then click the blue button at the bottom right that says “Pay.” You will be taken to a page titled “My eSIMs”

If you have navigated away from the “My eSIMs” page, you can get there again by clicking the button at the right right reading “Hi, [your name]” and then “My eSIM” in the drop-down menu that appears; or navigating to https://esimdata.numeroesim.com/data-packages/my-esims.

To get the QR code: The eSim you just purchased will appear here: click the green button below it that says “Details.”
You will be on an “eSIM Details” page. Under the menu at the right where it says “eSIM Installation,” select “Android Device” or “iOS Device” (it doesn’t matter which). Screenshot the QR code from the page that comes up.
To upload the QR code: Navigate to https://www.gaza.online/upload. Under “eSIM Provider,” click the gray button with a plus mark that says “Add.” Scroll down to select “Numero_[#]GB_[#]Days_Egypt,” depending on the size of the plan you purchased. Attach the file for the QR code and enter your email. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the page.

🔵 Sparks App

Download “Sparks eSIM” from the App Store.
Open the app. You should be on the “Store” page. If you are not, click the button on the bottom left that says “Store” with an icon of a storefront awning.
At the top is a search bar reading “What is your destination?” Click on it to open a page headed “Destination”; scroll down to “Israel.”
Select a plan. If you are not signed in, you will be prompted to log in (the blue button at the bottom) or sign up (the black button at the top right).
Agree to the terms of service and click the blue button at the bottom that says “Continue →”. Scroll down and enter your payment information.
To get the QR code: You will be on a page headed “Shopping cart.” Scroll down to see the QR code and screenshot or download it.

If you have navigated away from this page: Click the button that says “My plans” at the bottom of the page. Click the link that reads “Scan QR code” on the details summary of the eSim that you just bought.

To upload the QR code: Navigate to https://www.gaza.online/upload. Under “eSIM Provider,” click the gray button with a plus mark that says “Add.” Search or scroll down to select “Sparks[#]GB_[#]Days_Israel,” depending on the size of the plan you purchased. Attach the file for the QR code and enter your email. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the page.

🔵 Sparks Desktop

Navigate to https://sparks.travel/packages/il.
Select a plan. If you are not signed in, you will be prompted to log in or sign up.
Toggle the button to agree to the terms of service and click the blue button at the bottom that says “Buy Now.”
Scroll down to enter your payment information. Click the blue button at the bottom that says “Pay Now.”
To get the QR code: You will be brought to a page headed “Done!” Scroll down to see the QR code and download or screenshot it.

If you have navigated away from this page, you can get back here by clicking on your initials in the black button at the top right of the screen, then clicking “My plans” in the dropdown menu that comes up. Click the link that reads “Scan QR code” on the details summary of the eSim that you just bought.

To upload the QR code: Navigate to https://www.gaza.online/upload. Under “eSIM Provider,” click the gray button with a plus mark that says “Add.” Search or scroll down to select “Sparks[#]GB_[#]Days_Israel,” depending on the size of the plan you purchased. Attach the file for the QR code and enter your email. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the page.

🍉 Guide to topping up eSims 🍉

The Connecting Humanity team recommends keeping your sims topped up once they have been activated. Keep topping up the eSim for as long as the data usage keeps ticking up. This keeps a person or family connected for longer, without the Connecting Humanity team having to go through another process of helping someone install a new eSim.

If the data usage hasn't changed in a week or so, you may want to allow the plan to expire and purchase another one.

This guide also shows how to tell whether your plan has been activated or not, how to see how much data has been used, and how to tell which plans are inactive if you have purchased more than one. As of February 2024, the Connecting Humanity team is instructing that, if you sent an eSim more than two weeks ago and it has not yet been activated, you should reply to the email you initially sent containing the QR code for that eSim.

🔵 Nomad App

🔵 How to tell if your eSim is active

Open the Nomad app on your phone. You will be on the “Manage” page, showing all the eSim plans you’ve purchased; if not, you can navigate here by pressing the button that says “Manage” at the center bottom of the screen.
An activated eSim will have blue text at the bottom that says “active.” The data usage and days until expiry will be shown just above.
An inactive plan will say “plan not yet started” in red text at the bottom.

Some plans only begin to count down to expiry once they are installed, but Nomad plans also have a set date (from the purchase of the eSim) that they will begin counting down to expiry, regardless of whether they have been installed. You can see this date under where it lists the amount of data (here: "Activate before 04/18/2024"). The Connecting Humanity team asks that people reply to the email they sent containing the QR code for any inactive eSim that is approaching that date. If you are within 12 hours of the date, contact customer service and ask for a credit (not a refund) to purchase a new eSim.

🔵 How to top up your eSim

Note: eSims which were purchased before an upgrade in Nomad’s system sometime around March 23 can no longer be topped up. New eSims that were purchased after this date are unaffected.

From the “Manage” page (see step 1 of “How to tell if your eSim is active” above), click on the plan that you would like to top up. Click the blue button at the bottom that says “Add-on.”

A page titled “Add more data” will come up. Choose one of the data plans at the top of the screen (I recommend 3-5 GB), then click the blue button at the bottom that says “Checkout.” Enter your payment information and confirm.
You’re done! There is no need to get a QR code or send it to the team.

🔵 Notes on top-ups

The topped-up eSim will now show the text “1 Add-on waiting to activate” under the data usage and expiry date on the “Manage” page. Once the top-up has been activated, this text will disappear, and the data usage shown will be for the top-up, not the original eSim.
To see an eSim’s top-up history, click on it on the “Manage” page, then click “Your Plans.” The original eSim will be at the bottom, with all add-ons you’ve purchased from first to last as you move up.
You can only have one add-on waiting at a time.
Sometimes, a plan which was previously active and has a top-up waiting will again start reading “Plan not yet started,” even though it also says “1 Add-on waiting to start.”

This happens because Nomad doesn’t add the top-up amount to the original eSim (for instance, if you get a 5 GB eSim and then a 3 GB top-up, it won’t read “8 GB”): instead, it replaces the “5 GB” marker with the new “3 GB” marker once the original 5 GB plan is used up and just the 3 GB top-up remains.
The “plan not yet started” text means that the initial plan has been all used up, but the data from the top-up has not begun to be used yet–the person connected to this eSim just happened to pause in their data usage exactly at that point; or else the original plan ran out of time, but you still had a top-up waiting.
The new plan will start to read “active” again once they use a little bit more data, causing the top-up to activate.

🔵 How to tell which plan is which

This information is only important if you have multiple eSims on this app, some of them are active and others are inactive, and you are trying to figure out which email to reply to to let the team know that a plan is inactive. Only reply to an email if you purchased the plan more than two weeks ago.

From the “Manage” page, click on an inactive plan. Click on the button that says “Installation Instruction” (under “Your Plans” and above “Help Center”).
Swipe right to get to a screen with two tabs at the top, “Manual input” and “QR code.”

If you put the activation code in the body of the email you sent, copy it on this screen (under “Activation Code,” right below “SM-DP + Address” and above “Confirmation Code”) and search for it in your sent emails. When you find the email you sent to the team with this plan’s QR code, reply to the email with a message such as “inactive plan.”
Otherwise, click the “QR code” tab. Search for emails you’ve sent to gazaesims@proton.me including the word “Nomad” and visually compare the QR codes. When you find one that matches exactly, reply to that email with a message such as “inactive plan.”

If you can’t compare the QR codes visually, upload screenshots of both codes to an online QR code reader and compare the text you get back.