Top-end iPhones on sale in Gaza as food and medicine trickles into territory
“Gaza only works with 2G,” said Jebril, the Palestinian Cambridge academic, adding that Israel, which maintains control of the telecommunications network in the enclave, does not allow 3G, 4G or 5G.
“Even so, a cell phone is more important than ever in Gaza,” essential for studying, communicating in emergencies and checking on relatives in other parts of the Strip, she said.
For others, there is a small but lucrative market between traders and the small minority of Palestinians who managed to keep or accumulate large sums of money during the war, according to Tania Hary, executive director of the Israeli human rights group Gisha, which specializes in the movement of people and goods across Gaza’s borders.
This is the first time in two years that phones have been allowed into Gaza through official channels, Hary said. “So there is a buzz around it and an increased demand for phones and accessories,” she added. And just like in the West, some are fond of the status that the iPhone confers, even if it’s only a tiny minority of the population.
Recently, a handful of members of this minority found themselves pressed against the counter of the Tabia mobile phone store in Khan Younis. Bombarded out of its previous showrooms, Tabia now operates from a makeshift tent-like structure, with a canvas roof and wooden and metal supports. His name was printed on an orange and white fabric banner.
It has sold everything from budget models, such as the Redmi A5 and POCO C71, both made by China’s Xiaomi, to the iPhone 17 Pro, which sold for more than $1,000 in the United States.
War, border restrictions, logistical delays and general chaos have driven prices up to several times the normal market value, according to store owner Monzer Abou Hamad and customers interviewed by NBC News. However, the influx of phones has meant that these prices have since stabilized.
“Right now, there is a high demand for devices, firstly because of high school students, and secondly because education in Gaza has become electronic,” Hamad explained.
The phones are compact and cost-effective, so traders can import them more easily than bulky or restricted items like baby formula, medical supplies or construction materials, said Eran Yashiv, an Israeli economist who has studied and written extensively on Gaza’s economy.
“A small group of buyers with access to cash creates a market that traders are eager to serve, even if most households face severe shortages,” he said.
The result? “A distorted economy in which luxury goods can appear in stores while essential supplies remain blocked,” he said, “reflecting the chaotic mix of political control, commercial incentives and humanitarian failure that now characterizes Gaza.”
As continued Israeli bombardment disrupts every facet of life – from education and healthcare to news and entertainment – Gazans are increasingly relying on their screens for information and rest.
“The cell phone is the only device that transmits truth to the world, and therefore it is an essential beacon,” said Farid Kabalan, an economist from Khan Younis.
Mohaned Ahmed Abdel Khafour, 20, is a good example.
“I use my phone for reading, working and everything. Everything needs a phone,” he said. His old camera was damaged during the war – “so I had to buy one.”
Added to this is the distrust of some Palestinians, who see in this rapid arrival of new technologies echoes of the massive explosions of pagers in Lebanon in 2024. Dozens of people were killed and 1,500 injured, according to Hezbollah, in what was widely interpreted as an Israeli intelligence operation.
“After what happened with the pagers, I personally wouldn’t go near those phones either,” Hary told Gisha.
