Gaza Suffers Another Communications Blackout
Image Source: BNN Breaking
Israel once again shut down Gaza’s internet and telecommunication services on Wednesday as Israeli troops engaged Hamas fighters. The restoration of communications started later in the day. Relief organizations have warned that these outages seriously impair their ability to do their jobs in the already desperate circumstances that exist in the Palestinian enclave torn apart by conflict.
The Palestinian Ministry of Communications, emphasizing “the critical humanitarian situation that cannot bear the loss of communication for any longer,” issued a statement pleading with neighbouring Egypt to run communication stations close to the Gaza border and turn on roaming service on Egyptian networks.
Internet and telecommunication services in Gaza are reportedly being progressively restored, according to Paltel, a Palestinian telecom firm, after a “complete disruption” that was also reported by NetBlocks.org, an advocacy group for internet access. Residents were mostly cut off for the second time over the weekend as communications were disrupted due to an increase in Israeli troops entering Gaza.
Communication blackouts, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, interfere with first responders’ ability to do their jobs and make it more difficult for citizens to seek safety. According to ICRC spokesperson Jessica Moussan, “Even the potentially life-saving act of calling an ambulance becomes impossible.”
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield informed the Security Council on Monday that the US has communicated to Israel its concerns regarding a communications outage in the Gaza Strip.
“A shutdown of telecommunication imperils the lives of civilians, UN personnel, and humanitarian workers and risks exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” she said.
Israel’s chief military spokesman declined to comment on whether Israel was responsible for the earlier blackout, saying instead that it would take all necessary precautions to safeguard its personnel.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari replied, “We do what we have to do to secure our forces for as long as we must, temporary or permanent, as much as we need to, and we will not say anything further about that,” when asked if Israel had cut off mobile services before the ground offensive got underway on Friday night.
Israel protested when Elon Musk announced on Saturday that he will provide his Starlink satellite internet service to “internationally recognized aid organizations” in Gaza.
Israel’s Minister of Communications, Shlomo Karhi, stated on X that “Hamas will use it for terrorist activities,” referring to the organization that controls Gaza.
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