UPDATE - Telecommunications in Gaza cut off again amid Israeli attacks

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY RED CRESCENT SOCIETY

By Ahmed Asmar

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - All internet and telecom services in Gaza were cut off again due to the Israeli bombardment of the enclave on Friday, the main operator said, hampering aid deliveries and rescue efforts.

"We regret to announce that all telecom services in Gaza Strip have been lost due to the ongoing aggression. Gaza is blacked out again," Paltel said on X.

Ooredoo, another operator, said telecom lines had been damaged, causing a breakdown in in central and southern Gaza Strip.

Internet watchdog NetBlocks also confirmed the development, saying: "Live metrics show that the Gaza Strip is again in the midst of a near-total internet blackout; telecom services including landline, cellular and Wi-Fi are likely to be unavailable to most residents at the present time."

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it completely lost contact with its teams in the blockaded enclave.

"The telecommunications cut off increases the scale of challenges that our teams experience in providing their ambulance services, and reaching the patients and injured people in the speed necessary," the non-profit said in a statement.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 23,708 Palestinians have been killed and 60,005 injured in the Israeli onslaught since then, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

The revised death toll in Israel from the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,200.

A two-day hearing of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague ended on Friday.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar