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Gaza Hit With Internet Blackout After Israeli Assault

One of the major telecommunications providers in Gaza said Friday that its infrastructure was completely destroyed.

Heavy Israeli bombing on Friday left Gaza suffering its largest internet and cell phone network interference since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. According to NBC News, the U.K.-based watchdog group NetBlocks called it a “total or near-total blackout” that would “severely limit residents’ ability to communicate with the outside world.” In a statement translated by NBC, Paltel, one of the major telecommunications providers still operating in Gaza, said its infrastructure was completely destroyed on Friday, disrupting all services. Internet providers and cell towers require a high amount of power to operate but Israel has severed supplies and Gaza’s one power plant has run out of fuel. The Washington Post reported that Al Jazeera could only talk with its reporters via satellite internet, while the Palestinian Red Crescent, the main medical emergency responder in Gaza, said it was cut off from its operation teams.