UK-based charity OXFAM 'deeply concerned' over total loss of communication with Gaza

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The UK-based charity Oxfam said Friday it is "deeply concerned" over the total communication blackout amid intense airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

"Oxfam is deeply concerned about the situation, especially the total loss of communication with Gaza," the charity said on X.

Oxfam added that it demands a "cease-fire now" to protect innocent lives.

Many observers have pointed to the communications blackout as the likely first step in a long-feared Israeli ground invasion.

Earlier the charity said that more than 2 million civilians in the Gaza Strip are being collectively punished for the world to see, criticizing Israel for using starvation as a weapon of war, referring to its total cutoff of humanitarian aid and supplies, and then letting only a trickle in.

The current conflict in Gaza escalated dramatically after Hamas' military wing carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7 by firing thousands of rockets and sending hundreds of fighters into Israeli towns.

Israel responded with an uninterrupted campaign of air and artillery strikes on the Gaza Strip, and the government announced that it is preparing for a ground offensive to root out Hamas.

Nearly 8,800 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 7,326 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis. Some 70% of the deaths in Gaza are women and children, according to official figures.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are grappling with shortages of food, water, and medicine due to Israel's massive air bombardment and near-total blockade of the enclave.