Telecom blackout hits Gaza amid Israeli onslaught

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestinian telecoms company Paltel said Thursday that communications and internet services went down in the central and southern Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the company said the services were disrupted “due to Israel’s relentless aggression.”

“Our teams are working to restore the services as soon as possible,” it added.

Communication and internet services were disrupted several times amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,300 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 77,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar