The decline in telephone and Internet communications leaves the population of Gaza uncommunicated; NGOs denounce the situation and the difficulty in contacting their teams.
Friday (27/10) and the early hours of Saturday (28) local time in the Gaza Strip were marked by the loss of telecommunications in much of the territory and by intense bombings – heavier than previous nights – carried out by Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel confirmed that its forces are expanding ground operations against Hamas in Gaza and again insisted that the Palestinian territory’s population move south.
BBC journalists report that telephone and Internet communications appear to have been largely cut off in the Palestinian territory.
Based in Jerusalem, BBC journalist Alice Cuddy said she managed to speak to her contacts in Gaza on Friday but, by the evening, her calls and messages did not appear to reach the Palestinian territory.
Most of the people Cuddy had spoken to were taking refuge in Khan Yunis, having fled their homes elsewhere.
But a family living in central Gaza told the reporter earlier that they had chosen not to leave their home for the time being.
“We will continue to live here until we find a safe way to leave,” the father said by phone from his home, whose windows and doors were smashed after attacks on nearby buildings.
“We are in a really miserable situation. Especially the children, they are afraid.”
Journalist Mehdi Musawi, from BBC Arabic in London, also says he had difficulty speaking to his sources in Gaza throughout Friday.
“In the early evening, all communication lines were down. And then live footage from Gaza showed total darkness, except for flashes and fireballs in the distance,” says Musawi.
“I sent a barrage of messages to people I had spoken to before, but no response came back, not even a double check to confirm receipt.”
NGOs report ‘blackouts’ and lack of contact with the teams
Internet monitoring service Netblocks posted on X (formerly Twitter) that there had been a “collapse of connectivity” in Gaza.
Paltel, the Palestinian telecommunications company, released a statement on social media confirming the “complete interruption of all communications and internet services with the Gaza Strip.”
In a statement, Deborah Brown, a researcher at the NGO Human Rights Watch, said the telecommunications “blackout” “carries the risk of hiding mass atrocities and contributing to impunity for human rights abuses.”
Doctors Without Borders and the Palestinian Red Crescent have announced that they have lost contact with some members of their teams in Gaza.
“We are deeply concerned about the ability of our teams to continue to provide their emergency medical services, especially as this conflict affects the central emergency number ‘101’ and makes it difficult for vehicles and ambulances to reach the injured,” he said the Red Crescent. Palestinian in a statement.
Another aid organisation, ActionAid, also said it had lost contact with its staff in Gaza.
“The blackout isolates the population, making it nearly impossible for them to seek help, share their stories or stay in touch with loved ones.”
“This isolation exacerbates the suffering of those already facing a grave humanitarian crisis due to increased aerial bombardment of civilians,” the NGO said in a statement.
As telecommunications are disrupted, anxiety plagues the Palestinian diaspora.
Over the past 20 days, sporadic and limited exchanges via WhatsApp have brought occasional moments of relief.
However, any further delay in communication is often accompanied by paralyzing anxiety, expressed by questions such as: “Are they alive or dead? Was their house also hit by bombing?”
In a WhatsApp group, family members from all over the world send frantic messages due to the prolonged communication breakdown.
“OMG!” she wrote one.
“It looks like a ground offensive might begin.”
The BBC has asked the Israeli military for a position on the communications disruption, but has so far received no response.
*Brandon Drenon contributed to this report.
Source: Terra
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