Israel cuts off communications in Gaza for the 10th time since October 2023

Israel has cut off internet and telecommunications services in Gaza for the tenth time since 7 October 2023, according to a statement released on Monday by the Government Media Office in Gaza.

The office said that the latest blackout came just two days after services had been temporarily restored following a previous four-day outage.

“The Israeli occupation has once again cut off communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip. This marks the tenth time it has done so since the start of the ongoing genocide on 7 October 2023,” the statement read.

It added that “the occupation is deliberately intensifying its criminal policies against more than 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza by cutting off communications and internet networks for the tenth time, as part of the relentless genocide it has been waging against the civilian population for over 20 consecutive months.”

This is not a technical failure or an accidental disruption, but a premeditated act aimed at isolating Gaza from the outside world, concealing the truth, and depriving people of basic needs such as safety, connection, and the ability to call for help.”

The media office warned that such blackouts seriously hinder the work of medical and emergency teams and prevent them from reaching the dead and wounded. “Many of those injured may have been left to bleed to death without any chance of rescue,” it said.

It further stated that “the continued disruption of communications and internet is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and reveals the fascist nature of the occupation, which uses technology as a tool to strangle an entire population.”