RADIO SILENCE

Gaza’s in the Midst of Another Communications Blackout

Internet and telephone services crumbled due to a lack of fuel.

Gaza faced a crippling communications blackout on Thursday as internet and telephone services crumbled due to the lack of fuel for backup generators, Jawwal and Paltel, two Palestinian network providers, said. Israel has prevented almost all fuel from entering the region since the start of the war last month, claiming Hamas takes it for its weapons. This has led to UNRWA, the lead United Nations agency in Gaza for Palestinian refugees, to raise concerns that it would not be able to deliver aid from the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. The New York Times reported that networks went down on Thursday afternoon, with some attempted callers receiving the message: “Contact with the beloved Gaza Strip was lost as a result of the ongoing aggression. May God protect Gaza and its people.” This is not the first communications blackout, as there were three instances of prolonged communication loss late last month when attacks severely damaged phone lines.