Internet Outage in Gaza Due to Israel's Expanding Operations

Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip caused the territory to lose internet connectivity on Oct 24, according to Palestinian authorities and at least one internet traffic organization.

The blackout comes as Israel increased its bombing of the Gaza Strip on Friday in response to the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

It would make it much more difficult for Palestinians living there to interact with the outside world.

Internet blackout in Gaza as Israel expands operations

According to a translation of the post, the Palestinian telecoms operator Paltel said on X that "the heavy bombardment of the last hour has caused the destruction of all remaining international tracks linking Gaza to the outside world." 

Paltel was the last significant telecom company to operate in the Gaza Strip, according to internet surveillance company NetBlocks.

A Paltel employee told POLITICO that repairs were improbable because of the continuous shelling and a shortage of materials and equipment. 

The individual spoke anonymously because they were not allowed to speak to the media. 

He added that the company's employees in Gaza were seeking refuge and finding it difficult to communicate.

The shutdown may be a prelude to the much-awaited ground assault on Gaza, where citizens have already lost a great deal due to airstrikes and targeted assaults. 

Ground forces in Gaza are "expanding their activity," according to Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. 

Daniel Hagari, who also said that the IDF "is acting with great force... to achieve the objectives of the war."

During the Israel-Hamas conflict, assaults on critical infrastructure have been commonplace. 

As part of the Oct. 7 raid, at least four Israeli communications towers on the Gaza border were reportedly taken down by Hamas.

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