Internet, phone services completely cut off in Gaza after Israeli strikes

ISTANBUL

Internet and phone services collapsed across the Gaza Strip on Thursday following Israeli strikes on telecommunications infrastructure, the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said.

In a statement, the authority said the digital isolation of Gaza had deepened due to Israel’s "systematic targeting" of telecom infrastructure, despite repeated attempts to repair damaged and alternative routes over a prolonged period.

It said that the southern and central areas of the territory had now joined Gaza City and the northern region in a total communications blackout for a second consecutive day.

The authority accused Israel of deliberately targeting key telecom networks and main fiber-optic routes, warning that the telecom blackout threatens to disconnect Gaza from the outside world completely, and cut off access to critical services such as emergency aid, healthcare, media coverage, and education.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 55,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.