Gaza offline after fibre optic link severed amid Israeli bombardment

Telecoms authority blames 'systematic targeting of communications infrastructure'

A scene of destruction in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border. Reuters

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Gaza plunged into a complete internet blackout on Thursday after the last main fibre optic cable connecting the enclave was severed during Israeli bombardment.

The territory's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said all of Gaza's internet and landline communications were cut off after attacks on vital infrastructure networks, official Palestinian media reported.

Internet watchdog NetBlocks said its data showed disruption to internet connectivity across Gaza, which was likely to affect search, rescue and aid efforts.

The regulatory authority blamed "the systematic targeting of communications infrastructure, despite numerous previous attempts to repair several severed links", the official Wafa news agency said.

Gaza city and the northern Gaza Strip had been struggling with internet cuts for two days but the latest blackout has isolated the entire enclave, preventing Palestinians from accessing essential services, Wafa added.

The regulatory authority called on the international community to intervene to ensure access for technical crews to safely carry out infrastructure repairs.

It said Israel was preventing such teams from fixing cables and was obstructing access to back-up and alternative network routes. Repeated efforts over several months to reach and repair network connections have been consistently blocked by Israel, the authority said.

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On Wednesday, civil defence authorities in northern Gaza said internet blackouts were hindering efforts to identify and reach sites bombed by the Israeli military. “We are facing extreme difficulty in locating bombing sites due to signal outages and the inability of residents to contact us,” they said.

Several media organisations have apologised for an inability to cover the news in the territory, citing the lack of internet access and difficulty in making phone calls.

Some citizens have been relying on eSIM connections but these can require great effort to secure a signal such as by climbing to higher ground or moving closer to the eastern border of Gaza near Israel.

Since the start of the war, telecoms and internet networks in the enclave have suffered continuous disruption due to Israeli attacks or depletion of fuel used to operate electricity generators.