Israel has cut Gaza’s telecommunication and internet services for a second time despite warnings that communications blackouts exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The Palestinian telecommunications agency said Internet and phone networks were down across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
“To our good people in the beloved country, we are sorry to announce that communications and Internet services have been completely cut off in Gaza,” the Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel) said on X.
Global network monitor Netblocks confirmed that Gaza “is in the midst of a new Internet blackout with high impact to the last remaining major operator, Paltel.
“The incident will be experienced as a total loss of telecommunications by most residents,” it said.
Telecom provider Paltel reported a “complete disruption” of communications and internet services in Gaza on Wednesday morning. Journalists said only people with Israeli or Egyptian phone lines could still use their mobiles in the border town of Rafah.
The disruption comes after Israel imposed a near-complete communications blackout on Gaza from Friday to Sunday that lasted close to 36 hours. Internet and phone networks were completely cut last week but were restored at the weekend.
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas had at the time accused Israel of causing the shutdown in order to “perpetrate massacres” in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian telecoms provider Jawwal had blamed Israel’s “heavy bombardment” of the blockaded territory for the blackout.
The blackout sent waves of concern and fear among people and evacuees in the southern part of Gaza who still have family members remaining in the northern part and Gaza City.
In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Communications appealed to neighboring Egypt to operate communication stations near the Gaza border and activate roaming service on Egyptian networks, stressing that “the critical humanitarian situation that cannot bear the loss of communication for any longer”.
On Saturday, Elon Musk, the owner of X social media platform, said he would offer his Starlink satellite internet service to “internationally recognized aid organizations” in Gaza, prompting protests by Israel.
In the most recent Israeli attacks, at least 400 Palestinians have been killed or injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp as the regime continues its atrocities in the strip for 26 days now.
Gaza’s interior ministry said six US-made bombs were used on the district.
The resistance movement Hamas also said seven captives, including three foreigners, were killed in the bombing.
Over a thousand people are estimated to have been stuck under the rubble.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses point to the use of internationally banned white phosphorus bombs in the attack.
Since October 7, Israeli attacks on Gaza have claimed the lives of nearly 8,800 people, including 3,500 children.
