Darkness falls over Gaza after Israel's full-scale siege

Gaza youth gather around a large battery to charge their phones as Israel cuts off electricity, water and fuel to the area (Photo: New York Times).

Internet connectivity in the Gaza Strip is being restored, global network monitoring agency Netblocks said on October 29, nearly two days after the internet was cut off during Israel's heavy bombing of the territory.

"Real-time network data shows that Internet connectivity is being restored in the Gaza Strip," Netblocks wrote on social network X.

Earlier on October 27, Gaza's few links to the outside world appeared to have been severed. NetBlocks, a cybersecurity monitoring group, said it had recorded the largest internet outage in Gaza since the conflict began, resulting in "a total or near-total loss of internet service."

Satellite image analysis shows darkness enveloping Gaza following Israel's total siege (Graphic: Washington Post).

Jawwal, the largest internet provider for the area, posted a notice on Facebook at the time saying all internet connections to the outside world had been cut off.

Israel, which controls most of Gaza's electricity, closed its border with the strip in early October, launching a bombing campaign and shutting down the territory's power lines in response to Hamas' October 7 offensive.

Aid groups warn that without power, hospitals will collapse and sewage treatment plants will fail. The United Nations said this week that a desalination plant in the territory could shut down, leaving residents without clean drinking water.

Even before the October 27 blackout, power shortages and poor internet connections had further isolated Palestinians in Gaza, making it difficult for them to stay in touch with each other and the outside world.

“We can barely send messages to reassure our loved ones,” said Alaa Ahmed, 20, a medical student.

Power lines from Israel to the Gaza Strip (Graphic: Washington Post).

Gazans are charging their phones in places like hospitals and pharmacies, trying to conserve battery power for a few days. Some are lucky enough to have electricity thanks to solar panels, sharing power with neighbors.

After Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel imposed a strict blockade on the area. Gaza depends on Israel for basic services such as medical supplies, drinking water, and most of its electricity.

Israel supplies power to Gaza in two ways. Gaza’s only power plant runs on diesel fuel, which normally enters the enclave through the now-closed Karem Shalom crossing. There are also 10 direct power lines from Israel to Gaza, but these have also been cut.

Aid has begun flowing into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, but Israel is not allowing fuel to enter for fear it will be used by Hamas to fuel rockets.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/bong-toi-bao-trum-gaza-sau-lenh-bao-vay-toan-dien-cua-israel-20231029110138059.htm