Gaza Struggles to Maintain Communication Amid War

Communications in Gaza have stopped working for one week. Many Palestinians cannot talk to people outside of Gaza. This problem makes it harder to give help and provide emergency services because of the war.

Israeli attacks hurt the main connection, stopping communication since Tuesday. Paltel said some internet came back in south Gaza on Friday. They fixed Khan Younis but are still fixing other areas in the south and center.

Paltel said more attacks could stop future repairs from happening. They need materials to do the repairs, but it is very difficult. Gaza has had about ten communication problems since the war started in October 2023.

Palestinians in Gaza use phones a lot because moving around is hard. The outage makes it hard to find aid or call ambulances. An UNRWA director said telecoms are used as a weapon against people during the war.

Most UNRWA workers cannot connect in the areas without service. This makes it hard to give aid and work with each other. One person said they get a message from a colleague on a roof, saying they are alive.