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Gaza Telecom Networks Face 'Complete Halt' as Another Blackout Nears
Blackouts have "severely affected the delivery of vital services to what remains of the crumbling medical facilities treating thousands of ailing victims of the unrelenting assault on Gaza," said one advocate.
Nov 15, 2023
In a matter of hours, Amnesty International said Wednesday, Gaza is expected to "plunge into another total communications blackout" unless Israel lifts the total blockade that has kept fuel from reaching the besieged enclave for more than a month.
Two major telecommunications firms announced that their data servers have begun shutting down due to the rapidly dwindling energy supply—affecting operations at hospitals where medical workers are already struggling to care for thousands of injured people and preventing civilians from seeking help.
"Israel's ongoing refusal to deliver sufficient fuel and restore power will bring Gaza's communications network to a complete halt," said Rasha Abdul-Rahim, program director at Amnesty Tech. "It has also severely affected the delivery of vital services to what remains of the crumbling medical facilities treating thousands of ailing victims of the unrelenting assault on Gaza and has hampered the rescue of injured people trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings. This will be further exacerbated by the collapse of communications services, which in itself could amount to a violation of international law."
On Wednesday, Israel allowed the first fuel truck to enter Gaza since its bombardment began on October 7, but Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said the 23,000 liters trucked into the enclave are just a fraction of what is needed at hospitals, communications centers, water treatment plants, and humanitarian facilities.
"It is appalling that fuel continues to be used as a weapon of war," Lazzarini told Al Jazeera, noting that 160,000 liters of fuel are needed daily just to run the U.N.'s refugee shelters, where 800,000 people have sought safety. "This seriously paralyzes our work and the delivery of assistance to the Palestinian communities in Gaza."
Since October 11, said Amnesty, Gaza has had communications connectivity of about 30% below pre-conflict levels. The enclave has faced three total blackouts that lasted 24-48 hours, leaving residents without access to rescue services or the ability to make sure their loved ones were alive and well.
The blackouts, said the group, have also prevented international and local reporters and groups from documenting human rights violations.
During one 48-hour blackout from October 27-29, Israel bombed the areas surrounding al-Shifa, al-Quds, and Indonesian hospitals, killing at least 302 people, according to Gaza health officials.
"Against the backdrop of devastating airstrikes on critical civilian infrastructure and dwindling fuel reserves, civilians in Gaza cannot afford another blackout, which risks becoming a protracted period of no communication, darkness, and invisibility," said Abdul-Rahim. "Israel must immediately lift its blockade on Gaza and allow the entry and distribution of fuel and lifesaving aid for civilians. Israel is subjecting the civilian population to collective punishment, which is unlawful and cannot be justified, while cutting them off from each other and rest of the world as it does so."
Amnesty International reiterated its demand for an immediate cease-fire and the restoration of all telecommunications infrastructure to ensure injured people can seek help and humanitarian organizations can keep their operations running.
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UN Humanitarian Mission in Gaza Will 'Grind to a Halt' in 48 Hours Without Fuel
The lack of fuel will "severely impact ambulances and major hospital operations" by Tuesday, said UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini.
Nov 13, 2023
For United Nations humanitarian workers struggling to keep hundreds of thousands of Palestinians alive in Gaza, a top fear over the past several weeks has now been realized: On Monday officials said the U.N. refugee agency's emergency fuel supply ran dry, meaning workers will no longer be able to provide services necessary for keeping diseases at bay and ensuring hospitals can run.
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) operates a fuel depot on the Gaza-Israel border that contains strategic reserves of fuel, but 37 days into Israel's bombardment and total blockade of the enclave, "that reservoir is now empty," Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini toldReuters.
A request for a refill of the depot made to the Israeli military, which has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians with its bombings and ground attacks so far, has gone unanswered, The Guardian reported.
The rapidly dwindling supply of fuel has led water treatment plants to cease operations across Gaza, as well as bringing sewage removal operations to a halt. The lack of safe drinking water and the pileup of waste has already shown signs of causing infectious diseases to spread.
Lazzarini said the latest development will "severely impact ambulances and major hospital operations" by Tuesday.
Doctors and nurses are already struggling to provide care to patients in hospitals where medical supplies are running extremely low.
The UNRWA also needs fuel to keep its own shelters running and provide services for nearly 800,000 people. The agency has removed hundreds of tons of solid waste from its refugee camps in southern Gaza and provided safe drinking water to nearly 300,000 people using fuel.
Its ability to continue those services will end by Wednesday, Lazzarini warned.
"The humanitarian operation in Gaza will grind to a halt in the next 48 hours," said Thomas White, director of UNRWA affairs in the enclave.
On CNN, Lazzarini noted in an interview Monday that UNRWA shelters in southern Gaza—where Israel has ordered Palestinians to evacuate, claiming it is making targeted strikes on the northern region and zeroing in on Hamas—have been bombarded in recent weeks, with more than 100 employees killed.
"There is absolutely no safe zone in the Gaza Strip," said Lazzarini.
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