Gaza Experiences Unstable Internet Service Due To Severed Communication Lines

While war may benefit a few people with influence and power, but for the rest of the people, war is never a good thing.

People may have different opinions regarding wars. But most people should know that wars can cost lives, political tensions, and lots of blood and tears that can last for generations.

The people in Palestine, have been on the edge for more than just a few decades. And since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel earlier in October 2023, Palestine's complex relationship with Israel becomes way more volatile.

With each side throwing barrage of rockets and assaults, one of the strategies to have an advantage in wars, in owning the communication methods.

Israel has this, and was giving Palestine quite an issue.

Gaza had been under a near-total communications blackout for nearly 36 hours following Israeli air attacks on Friday.

This happened after communications lines and towers were destroyed by rockets from Israeli bombardment.

Among others, destroying such viral infrastructure gave the Israeli an advantage, including the ability contain information within Gaza from ever leaking out.

Humanitarian groups had warned that severing communications could be used as a cover to prevent facts from being heard across the world.

Rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, had also warned that the lack of communications in the enclave was hampering efforts to document war crimes and other abuses.

Paltel Group, which provides communications services in Gaza, said that landline, mobile and internet services were gradually being restored after being disrupted by “ongoing aggression.”

"Our technical teams are diligently addressing the damage to the internal network infrastructure under challenging conditions," the telecommunication company said in a statement.

"May God protect you all and our Country.”

Palestinian media outlets reported that internet connection in Gaza resumed shortly after 4:00 a.m. (0200 GMT).

The global network monitor Netblocks also said that internet connectivity is being restored in the area.

"Real-time network data show that internet connectivity is being restored in the #Gaza Strip," it wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday his SpaceX's Starlink shall help support communication links in Gaza with "internationally recognized aid organizations".

"No terminals from Gaza have attempted to communicate with our constellation," Musk said in a post on social media X, adding that "SpaceX will support communication links with internationally recognized aid organizations."

Musk wants Starlink to at least help communication by a bit, because during the war, sometimes, even emergency telephone number cannot work, meaning that civilians cannot call ambulance.

Even the U.S., which is an ally to Israel, called Israel's move to severe communication "unacceptable."

But Musk's move to help restore the internet, prompted protests by Israel.

“HAMAS will use it for terrorist activities,” Israel’s communication minister Shlomo Karhi.

“Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people. All of them! By then, my office will cut any ties with starlink.”

In this war, the people in Gaza were struggling to find their loved ones.

Not only that buildings were in ruins, and doctors are working without electricity in some hospitals, the lack of communication methods make things a lot more hectic in the battle zone.

It's worth noting that Israel's chief military spokesperson has declined to confirm or deny whether Israel had been behind the telecommunications blackout, but said it would do what it needed to protect its forces.

At this time, the Israeli is bombarding northern Gaza, and said that it's allowing a dramatic increase in attack. Because of that, officials urged Palestinian civilians to head to what he described as a "humanitarian" zone in the south of the territory.

A few days later, internet and telephone connections in Gaza are again cut off.

Watchdog Netblocks confirmed this again, saying that "the Gaza Strip is experiencing a new internet outage."

The incident, considered the second major cut in five days, means "a complete loss of telecommunications for most residents", it added.

About 2.4 million inhabitants are affected by this.

Human Rights Watch expressed their concerns again, saying that such a cut would serve as a "cover for mass atrocities."

Previously, a journalist in Gaza said access to the telecommunication networks was only possible with an international SIM card.