DaysofPal- For the second day in a row, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have cut all internet and landline communication services in Gaza City following strikes on the enclave’s telecommunications infrastructure, according to local reports.
Rights groups say the Israeli forces have repeatedly employed communication blackouts during nearly two years of war in Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, full internet and phone services have been shut down more than a dozen times, often for extended periods, as Israeli forces try to keep the atrocities committed there in the shadows.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a recent statement that these disruptions are part of a “deliberate policy” aimed at isolating Gaza from the outside world and obstructing humanitarian response efforts.
The group warned earlier this month of an “imminent risk” of a total collapse of Gaza’s communication networks due to repeated strikes on high-rise buildings and telecom towers in Gaza City.
“Cutting or jamming communications represents a systematic policy to isolate Palestinians from the international community,” the organization said, warning of “catastrophic consequences” for civilians and humanitarian operations.
It added that the practice not only violates basic human rights but also deprives residents of essential tools for survival while hampering the work of medical, aid, and media teams.
The rights monitor urged international actors to pressure the Israeli occupation to stop targeting Gaza’s remaining communications infrastructure and to end unlawful attacks on civilians and civilian facilities.
The blackout comes as Israeli forces continue their gradual ground operation to displace people in Gaza City and destroy it forcibly.
The Israeli campaign, launched on August 11 under the name “Gideon’s Chariots 2,” has involved artillery bombardments, drone-assisted demolitions of homes, and forced displacement of residents, particularly from the city’s eastern neighborhoods, which killed hundreds of civilians, including children and women, with entire families eradicated by Israeli bombing.
Since the Israeli genocide began on October 7, 2023, Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 65,062 Palestinians have been killed and 165,697 injured, the majority women and children. In addition, famine conditions have claimed 432 lives, including 146 children.
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