Israel advises Gaza residents to move south

SGGP 10/30/2023 05:56

On October 29, the Israeli military (IDF) advised civilians in the Gaza Strip to move south of the besieged territory, where the IDF said humanitarian efforts to Gaza - led by Egypt and the US - would be expanded.

On the same day, global network monitoring agency Netblocks announced that the internet in the Gaza Strip is gradually being restored after 2 days of disconnection due to Israeli attacks.

Palestinian media and news agencies stationed in the Gaza Strip also confirmed that internet and telephone connections have been restored since 4am on October 29. Regarding the issue of network provision, American billionaire Elon Musk pledged to ensure the provision of Starlink satellite internet service in the Gaza Strip for humanitarian purposes. Starlink is a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that can provide internet to remote locations or areas where conventional communication infrastructure is disabled.

The move prompted the Israeli Ministry of Communications to announce that it was cutting ties with Starlink and accusing the service provider of facilitating Hamas' use of the Starlink network for malicious purposes. Previously, the Israeli Ministry of Communications had asked Starlink to support internet broadcasting in the Gaza Strip to ensure communications during the Israeli army's offensive. In response, the American billionaire affirmed that he would only allow the United Nations and recognized aid organizations in the Gaza Strip to connect to Starlink's satellite internet service.

The protection of civilians in the Gaza conflict is currently a matter of great concern to the international community. On October 28, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to discuss ensuring the safety of Palestinian civilians in Gaza amid Israel's intensifying military campaign.

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