LONDON: Gaza is currently experiencing its most extended Internet blackout since the start of the conflict, according to reports from Internet monitoring firms.
On Thursday, NetBlocks, an Internet monitoring firm, highlighted in a post on X that the Gaza Strip had reached the seventh consecutive day of an almost complete telecommunications blackout, passing the 144-hour mark.
This incident marks the “ninth and longest sustained telecoms outage since the onset of the present conflict with Israel.”
Update: Network data show the #Gaza Strip has now entered the seventh day of a near-total telecoms blackout, with the incident passing the 144 hour mark; the disruption is the ninth and longest sustained telecoms outage since the onset of the present conflict with Israel pic.twitter.com/VrGMYgxsVB
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) January 18, 2024
As of Friday, the blackout has persisted for eight days, starting on Jan. 12.
People in the besieged Palestinian enclave have been unable to reach loved ones, rescue teams, or news networks.
"This is our eighth day without access to the Internet, mobile networks, or any form of telecommunications," Manal, whose name has been changed to maintain anonymity, told Arab News' correspondent in Gaza.
"We hear the shelling but cannot identify its location," she lamented. "We do not know how many people have been killed and injured - or if anyone survived a strike at all."
"Ambulances and paramedics are not sure where to go, and affected civilians are unable to reach help."
Manal added: "This is a death sentence for anyone who gets injured. We cannot check in on our families, relatives and friends."
Amal, whose name has also been changed, said she could not reach her brother since she got displaced in Rafah, southern Gaza.
She told Arab News: "Part of my family is still in Gaza City while others are outside, but I cannot reach any of them."
The blackout has also severely hampered the work of reporters. A journalist supplying multiple media organizations told Arab News he has been unable to "send the footage and photos I capture to the outlets I work with."
"Our voices are suppressed," he said. "We cannot inform the world about what is happening here (in Gaza). If we need an Internet connection, we have to use digital SIM cards, which do not work in all areas - this is especially an issue when we are in immediate danger."
Earlier in the month, Palestinian telecom giant Paltel declared the loss of all telecom services in the Gaza Strip due to the continuing conflict.
Paltel, owner of Palestinian telecoms provider Jawwal, attributed the shutdown to Israel’s “heavy bombardment” damaging infrastructure in Khan Younis, a city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, as reported by The New York Times.
Throughout the four-month-long war, Gaza’s Internet services have experienced consistent disruptions.
Israel has previously faced accusations of intentionally severing Gaza’s communications, allegations it has not officially addressed.
Humanitarian leaders expressed concern that communications blackouts impede aid deliveries, causing delays at the border, a crucial lifeline for many people within the Strip.
Access Now, a digital rights organization advocating against Internet shutdowns globally, stated in a press release that “documenting and sharing information about what is happening on the ground is increasingly challenging, if not outright impossible” due to the outages.
Media watchdog International Media Support said in a post on X on Friday that the blackout has made it “extremely difficult to keep the world informed about Israel’s attacks and the humanitarian disaster.”
Gaza is going through its longest communications blackout since the war began.
For 1 week, journalists have had almost no access to internet, making it extremely difficult to keep the world informed about Israel’s attacks and the humanitarian disaster.Stop silencing #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/8qL65TCQiw
— IMS (@IMSforfreemedia) January 19, 2024
Numerous journalists have reported that Internet shutdowns have compelled them to resort to traditional reporting methods, such as physically navigating bombed areas, engaging with survivors and witnesses to ascertain casualty numbers, and relying on radio communication.
In response to the challenging communication environment, some journalists and aid workers have resorted to using international or electronic SIM cards near the Israeli or Egyptian borders.
However, this workaround has made external communication increasingly difficult for those inside Gaza due to the risks associated with leaving the designated safe areas.
