Communications cut in Gaza enters 8th day
3 Min Read
Despite the damage the communications sector in the Gaza Strip is suffering from as a result of the Israeli aggression, the occupation has deliberately cut off communications and Internet services in the Gaza Strip for the eighth day in a row.
-
In this image taken from a video released by the IOF on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, an Israeli soldier is seen holding a weapon in Gaza City. (AP)
The Israeli communications and Internet services cut in the Gaza Strip enters its eighth day today, making it the longest cut since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The NetBlocks website, which monitors communications networks around the world, said that “the cut, which is now entering its eighth day, is the longest continuous communications cut ever.”
Palestinian telecommunications companies "Paltel" and "Ooredoo Palestine" announced last Friday the complete cessation of communications and Internet services with the Gaza Strip, which were deliberately cut by the occupation forces.
Ooredoo said in a similar statement, “With the continuation of the aggression on the Gaza Strip, the main lines feeding telecommunications and Internet companies were repeatedly damaged, which led to the cessation of all our services in the south and center of the Gaza Strip.”
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Ihab Sobeih, explained that communications (cellular, landline, Internet) were cut off again from the Gaza Strip, completely in the center and south, however, “Ooredoo's” service is still operating in the north.
Due to the lack of safe paths and the difficulty of movement resulting from the massive destruction of the roads and the scarcity of spare parts, "Paltel", which provides service in these areas, was unable to reach the stations, he noted.
He stressed that the occupation's deliberate bombing of Gaza City has not only destroyed around 80% of the city and exposed technical crews to direct Israeli targeting while they were peacefully working with International Institutions, but also continuously and deliberately targeted the communications sector.
Gaza Government holds US, 'Israel' responsible
The Gaza government media office confirmed on January 17 that the Israeli occupation cut off all means of communication for the seventh time during its ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip.
In a press statement, the media office explained that the Israeli occupation is deliberately cutting off and completely disrupting telecoms in the Gaza Strip, during what it described as a "genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Strip."
In its statements, the office highlighted that severing telecommunication and internet networks poses a significant threat to the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It emphasized that the interruption of communication means that many martyrs and wounded individuals won't receive timely assistance. Consequently, this disruption is expected to result in a considerable escalation in the number of casualties.
In its media statement, the office urged what it described as "all countries of the free world" to promptly and urgently halt the genocidal war against the Palestinian people. It also called on these nations and international organizations specializing in communication to exert pressure on the occupation, urging the restoration of communication and internet networks in the Gaza Strip to bring an end to this ongoing tragedy.
