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 – the world's most modern and expensive smartphone – 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).
“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 human
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