Purchases of iPhone 17 Pro soar across Gaza amid ‘limited’ humanitarian aid
NBC’s report on Friday said that because of the compactness of the phones, they can be imported into the Gaza Strip more efficiently than construction materials or infant formula.
An increase in purchases of new Apple iPhone 17s by Palestinians is being reported in the Gaza Strip, with many buyers still displaced and unemployed, according to an NBC News report published Friday.
The new iPhones have been selling in the Gaza Strip for several months, according to a report in the UAE-based newspaper. The National, published earlier this month, saying some Palestinians remained suspicious and reportedly asked: “Why phones, and not food?”
Friday’s NBC report said that because of the compactness of the phones, they can be imported into the Gaza Strip more efficiently than construction materials or baby formula, which the report calls “bulky.”
The recent report also cited Gazans saying that cheap phones in the Gaza Strip were being sold for up to NIS 5,000.
Accusations that Israel uses imported phones for intelligence gathering
The National The report cites claims by journalist Hamza Al Shobaki, who said that “Israel has a long history of using telephones and communications systems for surveillance and intelligence gathering. Allowing the entry of devices that were not permitted even before the war raises questions.”
Palestinian women walk together past makeshift shelters in a camp for displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian Territories, December 16, 2025. (credit: Hashim Zimmo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
It has also been two years since phones were allowed to be imported into the Gaza Strip through official channels, said Tania Hary, executive director of the Israeli human rights group Gisha, according to the NBC report, which noted that “there is a greater demand for phones and accessories.”
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reportedly told NBC it was “fully committed to its obligation to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid trucks in accordance with the agreement” but did not comment on phones sold in the Gaza Strip.
This comes after COGAT a week earlier criticized a UN report on Gaza which said famine had been averted but conditions “remained critical”, calling the assessment a “distorted and baseless view of reality”.
“Contrary to the report’s claims, between 600 and 800 aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip every day, around 70 percent of which are carrying food,” said COGAT director Major General Ghassan Alian.
COGAT added that “the remainder are transporting medical equipment, shelter supplies, tents, clothing and other essential humanitarian assistance.”
According to the COGAT statement, since the ceasefire began in mid-December, more than 25,000 trucks carrying food have entered the Gaza Strip, totaling 500,000 tons.
Tobias Holcman contributed to this report.
