Skip to main content

Israeli 3G SIM cards all the rage in Gaza

SIM cards allowing 3G service on Israeli telecommunications networks are being smuggled into Gaza and snapped up quickly by young Palestinians.
A Palestinian man displays SIM cards of Palestinian Jawwal cellular company in a mobile phone shop in Gaza City November 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa  - RTX2U31Z
Read in 

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — After almost completely disappearing from Gaza Strip markets in the 1990s, Israeli SIM cards are once again available because of a demand for 3G services, an option not offered by Palestinian telecommunications companies, which only have 2G technology. The cards have swept across the Palestinian market after entering Gaza through unknown channels, while Palestinian officials and security agencies warn against using them because of the security risk they potentially pose.

The Al-Majd website, which is close to Hamas, reported that the cards are being smuggled into Gaza either through the border crossings or through the border fence with Israel. The website added that the cards allow calls to be more easily tracked and phones tapped by Israeli companies and authorities.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.