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Gaza remained in digital darkness for a third consecutive day on Friday, unable to share its suffering or access life-saving information, as global attention focused on Israel's attacks on Iran.
The breakdown of mobile and internet services was caused by damage to fibre optic links by Israeli bombardment, but Palestinian repair crews are not allowed to restore services.
“All eyes are on Iran now,” said Nahil Khader, 42, from Gaza city.
“I tried to go to a cafe just to find out what’s happening outside. I heard Israel attacked Iran, but I don’t know if that’s good or bad for us. Maybe it could pressure Israel into a deal with Hamas, or maybe it will make things worse," he told The National.
"The terrifying part is that no one is even paying attention to what’s happening in Gaza any more.”
Mr Khader described the isolation of earlier internet blackouts during the first months of the war, when Gaza city was cut off as Israel attacked in response to deadly Hamas raids on Israel on October 7, 2023.
“When the internet finally returned, I realised how much had happened without us knowing. We were just trying to survive here. I really hope this blackout doesn’t last long, because if it does, no one will see what we’re going through. No one will know.”
Dalia Younis, a Palestinian who fled Gaza for Egypt during the war, said she was consumed with anxiety about her relatives trapped inside Gaza.
“I’m extremely worried about my family. I can’t call them. I can’t hear anything. There’s a fire burning in my chest as long as I remain in the dark,” she said.
“At first, I thought it was just a temporary outage. But now, after the Israeli attack on Iran, I fear this blackout is intentional, to keep attention on Iran while Israel escalates its attacks on Gaza, hidden from the world’s eyes.”
Activists in Gaza and abroad are calling for immediate international action to help residents stay connected. Many are urging support for the purchase of international SIM cards and mobile internet packages.
“With the repeated communication blackouts, it’s become essential to help Gazans stay connected to the world,” said one of activists. “They must be able to document their suffering and speak for themselves, especially when the world’s attention is elsewhere.”
As Israeli attacks continue across the territory and access to food, medicines, and other essentials remains uncertain, many in Gaza fear that the blackout is more than a communications failure, it is a strategy to cut off their voice at a time when visibility could mean survival.
