'Israel' imposes total digital blackout on Gaza
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Palestinian officials accuse the Israeli occupation of deliberately targeting Gaza’s last fiber optic route.
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A Palestinian boy sits on the rubble of a building destroyed by Israeli airstrikes while a man takes pictures with his cellphone, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, March 1, 2025 (AP)
The Palestinian Authority announced on Thursday that internet and landline communication services in the Gaza Strip have been completely cut off after Israeli occupation forces targeted the last remaining fiber optic route, in what officials described as a “dangerous” escalation aimed at digitally isolating the population.
According to the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, “The Israeli occupation is fully responsible for this blackout. All internet and fixed-line services have ceased due to the targeting of the final main fiber route,” the statement read, confirming that Gaza has effectively been cut off from the outside world.
The Authority condemned the attack as part of a systematic campaign against Gaza’s telecommunications sector since the beginning of the war, stating that the move was intended to silence Palestinians and enforce total digital isolation.
“This dangerous escalation against communication infrastructure threatens to completely isolate Gaza from the global community,” the Authority warned, noting that the blackout comes at a time when aid operations are struggling to reach the besieged population.
Communication blackout deepens humanitarian crisis
Over the past several months, repeated Israeli airstrikes have severely damaged Gaza’s communications networks, resulting in persistent outages and obstructing humanitarian coordination efforts.
Human rights groups have warned that these blackouts not only hinder relief operations but also violate international humanitarian law, as they endanger civilians, restrict access to vital services, and obstruct independent documentation of the ongoing genocide.
The latest blackout marks one of the most severe communication disruptions since the beginning of the war, raising further concerns about "Israel’s" targeting of civilian infrastructure in violation of international norms.
This comes as the total number of Palestinians martyred since October 7, 2023, has surpassed 55,104, with more than 127,394 injured, figures that health officials say reflect one of the most severe humanitarian catastrophes of the modern era.
