Israel’s communications blackout increases war crimes in Gaza

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The potential for the blockade to serve as a cover for crimes committed within Gaza has been raised following the shutdown of phone and internet services last week. It is believed that the communications blockade may be used as a cover for crimes committed within Gaza.

On Saturday afternoon, Gaza’s Palestinians were cut off from outsiders for a second day after some of the most deadly bombings in the conflict were reported from Hamas, as well as Israeli forces making a few small ground incursions throughout the night.

There have been no longer any routes connecting Gaza with the outside world after Israel shelled the Gaza Strip on Friday. According to a statement issued by Palestinian telecom company Jawwal late Friday night, there were no longer any international routes connecting Gaza with the outside world.

The reports of Nida Ibrahim, reporting for Al Jazeera from Ramallah in the West Bank, where the Palestinian people are still occupying most of the land, said on Saturday that the information coming out of the Gaza Strip is “very, very minimal”.

It hurts to meet such a level of ignorance in Gaza. “After Gaza went into darkness with no communication, no phones, no internet connections, it hurts to meet such a level of ignorance in other parts of the world as well,” Ibrahim said.

I can guarantee you that they cannot even check on the welfare of their friends, their loved ones [and] friends of their families to see if they are still alive.

As a result of lost communication with its colleagues in Gaza, Amnesty International is finding it increasingly difficult to document the abuse of rights in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the lack of communication.

There is a communication blackout in Gaza, which means that obtaining critical information and evidence about human rights violations, war crimes, and the victims of these violations will be even more difficult. Erika Guevara Rosas, a senior director of research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns, stated in a statement released on Friday that the blackout would make it even more difficult to get information and evidence about the violations.

There is a risk that the blackout will serve as cover for mass atrocities and also contribute to impunity for those who violate human rights, according to Deborah Brown, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch who specializes in technology and human rights.

There have been reports that UN World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain has left Twitter, now called X, to say that the WFP has lost contact with its Gaza field teams as a result of the conflict.

“I feel as if I am being suffocated by the silence,” she wrote.

Israel increased its bombardment of Gaza, causing a complete breakdown of communications services in the enclave before an anticipated full-scale attack on the enclave took place.

The director-general of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently made a post on X saying that helicopters are unable to reach injured people because of the darkness.

There is still a lack of communication between our staff and healthcare facilities. He said, “I am concerned about the safety of the children.”.

A warning has been issued by the Committee to Protect Journalists, stating that the “news blackout” could have serious consequences, including the spread of false information, which could cause serious harm to journalists’ livelihoods.

There may be a delay in being able to determine the exact number of casualties as a result of attacks or the specifics of the battle on the ground due to the cutoff. Satellite phones remained operational for a very small number of people.

It has been reported that Al Jazeera’s correspondents in the Gaza Strip have occasionally provided updates via satellite, but direct contact is often hampered by the almost total communication blackout in the enclave.

Al Jazeera’s Safwat Kahlout reported from Gaza City on Friday that the air raids carried out by Israel over the past few days were significantly more intense than those carried out in the past.

According to Kahlout, today was the worst day yet in terms of the intensity of Israeli fire, and we can hear some blasts coming from the sea as well, specifically in the north of the Gaza Strip in terms of the strength of Israeli fire.

The Al Jazeera television reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum reported on Friday that there was a “complete isolation” in Khan Younis in Gaza and that the local residents were “frightened and terrified” of what was going on there.

It is believed that 1,405 civilians have been killed as a result of the Israeli airstrikes that have been conducted in Gaza in response to Hamas’ attacks on the nation on October 7.

At least 7,703 Palestinians, including 3,595 children, have been killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes, according to Palestinian officials.

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