There are six main administrative districts of Israel, known in Hebrew as **' (מְחוֹזוֹת; sing. מָחוֹז, ) and in Arabic as **'. There are also 15 subdistricts of Israel, known in Hebrew (נָפוֹת; sing. נָפָה, ) and in Arabic as. Each subdistrict is further divided into natural regions, which in turn are further divided into council-level divisions: whether they might be cities, municipalities, or regional councils. The present division into districts was established in 1953, to replace the divisions inherited from the British Mandate. It has remained substantially the same ever since; a second proclamation of district boundaries issued in 1957—which remains in force as of 2023—only affirmed the existing boundaries in place. The figures in this article are based on numbers from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics and so include all places under Israeli civilian rule including those Israeli-occupied territories where this is the case. Therefore, Golan Subdistrict and its four natural regions are included in the number of subdistricts and natural regions even though it is not recognized by the United Nations or the international community as Israeli territory. Similarly, the population figure below for the Jerusalem District was calculated including East Jerusalem whose annexation by Israel is similarly not recognized by the United Nations and the international community. The Judea and Samaria Area, however, is not included in the number of districts and subdistricts as Israel has not applied its civilian jurisdiction in that part of the West Bank.

Administration

The districts have no elected institutions of any kind, although they do possess councils composed of representatives of central government ministries and local authorities for planning and building purposes. Their administration is undertaken by a District Commissioner appointed by the Minister of the Interior. Each district also has a District Court. Since the District Commissioners are considered part of the Ministry of the Interior's bureaucracy, they can only exercise functions falling within the purview of other ministries if the appropriate Minister authorizes them. This authorization is rarely granted, as other government ministries and institutions (for example, the Ministry of Health and the Police ) establish their own divergent systems of districts.

Jerusalem District

Jerusalem District (, Mehoz Yerushalayim) Natural regions:

Northern District

Northern District (, Mehoz HaTzafon) Subdistricts and natural regions:

Haifa District

Haifa District (, Mehoz Heifa) Subdistricts and natural regions:

Central District

Central District (, Mehoz HaMerkaz) Subdistricts and natural regions:

Tel Aviv District

Tel Aviv District (, Mehoz Tel Aviv) Natural regions:

Southern District

Southern District (, Mehoz HaDarom) Subdistricts and natural regions: Formerly the Hof Aza Regional Council with a population of approx. 10,000 Israelis was a part of this district, but the Israeli communities that constituted it were evacuated when the disengagement plan was implemented on the Gaza Strip. Since the withdrawal, the Coordination and Liaison Administration operates there.

Judea and Samaria Area

Judea and Samaria Area (, Ezor Yehuda VeShomron) The name Judea and Samaria for this geographical area is based on terminology from the Hebrew Bible and other sources relating to ancient Israel and Judah/Judea. The territory has been under Israeli control since the 1967 Six-Day War but not annexed by Israel, pending negotiations regarding its status. It is part of historic Israel, which leads to politically contentious issues. However, it is not recognized as part of the State of Israel by the United Nations. There are no subdistricts or administratively declared "natural regions" in the Judea and Samaria Area.