Children proud, adults suspicious as Israel lets iPhone 17s into Gaza

Israel is allowing tens of thousands of iPhone 17s into Gaza after months of blocking food, medicine and other basic supplies, leaving some weary Palestinians suspicious.

Even as families sleep in tents, food stocks fall short, and Israel shuts out building materials needed to rebuild Gaza, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a surreal sight in one of the most devastated places on Earth.

In central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp, phone shop owner Mohammed Zaqoul sees customers queuing up for the device that has become a symbol of both status and controversy. Each one costs about 7,000 shekels ($2,200).

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“The demand is unbelievable,” he told The National. “Every shipment that enters Gaza contains more than 10,000 phones, sometimes more. And dozens of shipments have arrived.”

But many Gazans are asking: Why phones, and not food? Why an advanced piece of tech, but not baby formula or cement to rebuild the devastated Palestinian enclave?

In a place where most families now rely on humanitarian food baskets, the sight of a teenager holding Apple’s latest luxury product can feel strange.

Mr Zaqoul said buyers tend to come from certain groups. Social activists and founders of community initiatives; traders and their families; people who gained financially during the war from renting land, dealing in aid, or running small wartime businesses; or employees of international organisations who earn high foreign salaries.

“The market has been starved of new devices for two years,” he said. “Now that phones are entering, people are eager, especially these groups.”

In Deir Al Balah, sisters Raghad, 21, and Tala, 18, proudly hold the newest iPhones, gifts from their father.

“My father paid $4,500 for our phones,” Raghad said. “He works in food trading, and thank God, we are doing well.”

But she knows the reactions around her.

“When people see us with these phones, they stare, especially because we’re young,” she said. “I can feel them thinking, ‘where did you get that?’”

When she posted her new phone on Instagram, the comments from abroad poured in: “How can you afford this? Is this really available in Gaza?” and “How can people in a war zone have the newest phone in the world?”

Raghad insists that even in ruins, life continues. “Yes, Gaza is full of destruction,” she said. “But there are still people who love life and buy what makes them happy.”

Red flags

For journalist and researcher Hamza Al Shobaki, the sudden entry of mobile phones into Gaza, especially high-tech devices, raises red flags.

“How is it that Israel prevents the entry of medicines, tents, food supplies, and fuel, yet allows in thousands of advanced smartphones?” he asked. “It makes no sense.”

“Israel has a long history of using phones and communication systems for surveillance and intelligence gathering,” he said. “To allow entry of devices that weren’t permitted even before the war, this raises questions.”

Al Shobaki believes the influx could serve to expand Israeli intelligence operations, track resistance members and community leaders or monitor civilian communications.

“Gaza has been flooded with tens of thousands of iPhone 17 Pro Max devices,” he said. “Meanwhile, basic goods are scarce and unaffordable. We cannot interpret this except as part of Israel’s surveillance strategy.”

Inside Gaza, the arrival of the iPhone 17 Pro Max has triggered wide public debate.

Palestinian journalist Mohammed Awad says reactions fall into two camps. One group supports the buyers, arguing that activists documenting Gaza’s destruction need advanced equipment, and that aid workers and community leaders should have high-quality footage to show to international donors. That makes phones a tool for survival in a digital era.

The other group objects, saying, a $2,200 phone is out of step with Gaza’s misery. Money spent on iPhones could fund urgent humanitarian needs; buying luxury devices in a famine zone can be seen as morally questionable.

Awad said the absence of any regulatory oversight in Gaza only deepens the controversy.

“In this chaos, many questions will be asked,” he said. “But clear answers will be difficult to find.”