Intensification of Israeli Military Actions in Gaza Leads to Communication Breakdown

Amid escalated Israeli air and ground assaults on Friday evening, communication networks including the internet and telephone services were rendered nonfunctional in the Gaza Strip. This has effectively severed the region’s 2.3 million inhabitants from the external world as well as from each other. Israeli authorities have indicated an enlargement of ground operations within the blockaded territory, raising the possibility of a full-scale invasion aimed at incapacitating the governing Hamas organization. This comes in response to a violent incursion by Hamas into southern Israel three weeks prior.

The skies over Gaza City were ablaze due to successive air raids on Friday night, following the onset of a telecommunications blackout. The disruption in services further aggravated the situation for Palestinians, who were already contending with a severe electricity shortage. Paltel, the Palestinian telecommunication company, attributed the service disruption to Israeli bombardments.

In the absence of communication networks, the immediate impact of new airstrikes on civilian casualties remains unknown. The Red Crescent has reported difficulties in coordinating with its medical units, further complicating rescue operations. International organizations have also faced obstacles in contacting their ground teams, resorting to satellite phones for minimal communication.

Family members residing outside Gaza have expressed heightened concern as all forms of communication with their relatives in the area have been abruptly halted.

Wafaa Abdul Rahman, a West Bank-based feminist organization director, voiced her anxiety about not being able to contact her family in central Gaza for several hours. She highlighted the implications of an information blackout, given the already devastating impact of the airstrikes being broadcast on television.

Israeli military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, stated that ground forces are “intensifying their activities” in Gaza to “accomplish wartime objectives.” The Israeli military has justified its actions as being focused on targeting Hamas personnel and infrastructure, despite the group’s presence among civilian populations.

An unprecedented gathering of Israeli troops has been observed along the Gaza border, suggesting an impending ground offensive. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated that Israel is preparing for a prolonged and challenging operation aimed at dismantling Hamas’ extensive underground network.

The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with the Palestinian death toll rising past 7,300, a majority of whom are minors and women. International aid efforts are faltering due to fuel shortages, affecting essential services including hospitals, which are already overstretched.

Amid this, regional tensions are escalating. American military actions in Syria targeted sites associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, following attacks on U.S. forces. Concurrently, explosions occurred in Egyptian towns along the Red Sea, injuring six.

As Israel prepares for a ground invasion, concerns mount over a potential spike in casualties due to close-quarters combat in populated areas. Hospitals in Gaza are struggling to maintain emergency services, as Israel has halted all fuel deliveries since the onset of hostilities.

Israel has accused Hamas of using humanitarian aid, particularly fuel, for its military operations. Gallant showed aerial footage purporting to demonstrate Hamas installations situated near hospitals, a claim that could not be independently verified.

Salama Moussa, the media chief for Hamas at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, dismissed Israel’s claims as fabrications and warned of imminent danger to the medical facility, which is already overwhelmed with patients and displaced individuals.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has had to ration fuel and predicts its reserves will last only a few more days. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, expressed that the remaining public services are on the brink of collapse, and for the first time, hunger is being reported among the population.

The report was contributed to by Federman in Tel Aviv, Mroue in Beirut, Jobain in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Jeffery in Cairo, DeBre in Jerusalem, and Melley in London.

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More about Israeli military escalation in Gaza

• Israeli Military Operations in Gaza
• Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
• Status of Communication Blackout in Gaza
• Regional Impact of Gaza Conflict
• Israeli Defense Ministry Statements on Gaza
• U.S. Involvement in the Middle East Amid Gaza Conflict
• Condition of Hospitals in Gaza Amid Conflict