Near-total internet and cellular blackout hits Gaza as Israel ramps up strikes
A near-total blackout of internet and cellphone service has taken hold across much of the Gaza Strip, according to witnesses there and companies that monitor global connectivity.
The largest telecommunications provider in Gaza that was still largely operational, Paltel, said Friday that it had suffered a complete disruption of all services after heavy Israeli bombing earlier in the day destroyed its last remaining infrastructure connecting it to the global internet.
Dear people in our beloved homeland, we regret announcing a complete severance of all communications and Internet services with the Gaza Strip in light of the ongoing aggression," Paltel said in a statement translated by NBC News. "The intense bombing in the last hour caused the destruction of all remaining international routes linking Gaza to the outside world, in addition to the routes previously destroyed during the aggression, which led to the interruption of all communications services from the beloved Gaza Strip. May God protect you and protect our country."