GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The youth mania for buying the newest smartphones and keeping up with the latest communication technologies prompted Mustafa Ahmed, 17, from Gaza City, to purchase the newest Apple phone, the iPhone 7, which was officially released on Sept. 6.

The official price of the phone was set at almost $650 in the United States, but Ahmed bought it for 5,000 Israeli shekels (around $1,333) from a Palestinian cellphone dealer, who himself got it from Saudi Arabia where it is sold at around 2,700 Saudi riyals ($720), since there are no Apple stores or official agents for the company in Gaza. Ahmed said he did not mind paying this sum for the device given its sophisticated features compared to other smartphones.

“I bought the iPhone 7 as it is the newest Apple phone and it is everyone’s dream to buy the latest smartphones upon their release. I was an iPhone 6 user and I was eagerly waiting for iPhone 7 to discover its new features and upgrades,” he told Al-Monitor.

The Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for about 10 years now has not stopped new technologies and the latest smartphones from entering Gaza upon their release. Cellphone dealers in Gaza took advantage of the hajj season, when pilgrims travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and the phone dealers ask them to bring back the new iPhone, while many smartphone techies have been looking forward to purchasing the new device.