Purchases of iPhone 17 Pro soar across Gaza amid 'limited' humanitarian aid

Friday's NBC report said that, due to the compactness of the phones, they can be imported into the Strip more efficiently than construction materials or formula.Rising purchases of Apple's new iPhone 17s by Palestinians are being reported within the Gaza Strip, with many of the buyers still displaced and jobless, according to an NBC News report published on Friday.The new iPhones have been selling in the Strip for a few months, with a report by the UAE-based newspaper The National, published at the beginning of the month, claiming that some Palestinians were left suspicious and were quoted as asking: "Why phones, and not food?"Friday's NBC report said that, due to the compactness of the phones, they can be imported into the Strip more efficiently than construction materials or formula, which the report described as "bulky."The recent report also cited Gazans saying that budget phones in the Strip are being sold for up to NIS 5,000.Accusations that Israel using imported phones for intelligence gatheringThe National report cited claims made by journalist Hamza Al Shobaki, who said that “Israel has a long history of using phones and communication systems for surveillance and intelligence gathering. To allow entry of devices that weren’t permitted even before the war, this raises questions.”Palestinian women walk together past makeshift shelters at a displacement camp in Gaza City, Palestinian territories on 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 Strip through official channels, the NBC report cited Tania Hary, executive director of the Israeli human rights group Gisha, as saying, who noted that "there is greater demand for phones and also accessories."The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reportedly told NBC that 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 the phones being sold in the Strip.This comes after COGAT, a week earlier, criticized a UN report on Gaza that said famine had been averted but conditions “remained critical,” calling the assessment “a distorted and baseless picture of reality.”"Contrary to the claims in the report, between 600-800 aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip every day, approximately 70 percent of which carry food," COGAT's director, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, said.COGAT added that "The remainder carries medical equipment, shelter supplies, tents, clothing, and other essential humanitarian assistance."According to the COGAT statement, since the ceasefire began, as of mid-December, more than 25,000 trucks carrying food have entered the Gaza Strip, totaling 500,000 tons.Tobias Holcman contributed to this report.