UN says all Gaza aid operations could be halted due to telecom outage

Alsharq Tribune- Amira Younes 

The United Nations warned on Thursday that all aid operations in the embattled Gaza Strip could come to a halt due to the collapse of telecommunications services.

"Lifelines to emergency services, humanitarian coordination, and critical information for civilians have all been cut," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in New York. "There's a full Internet blackout, and mobile networks are barely functioning."

The outage is reportedly due to damage to the last fibre optic cable supplying the central and southern parts of the blockaded coastal strip, Haq said. According to experts, this is not a routine disruption but rather "a complete collapse of Internet and data services."

Emergency services cut off

Haq stated that the damage was likely caused during intense military activity. In an area where aid for the civilian population is already restricted by access limitations and widespread destruction, emergency services are now cut off, leaving civilians without access to life-saving assistance.

The collapse has paralysed aid operations across the Gaza Strip, he said. Additionally, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has lost contact with its colleagues in the blockaded coastal area.

"That's true for most agencies. We're largely cut off from our teams on the ground," Haq said.

Last fibre optic network hit

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing the Palestinian Telecommunications Authority, reported that all internet and landline connections had been severed.

The last remaining fibre optic network was reportedly hit during an attack. Since the start of the Gaza conflict more than 20 months ago, such disruptions to telecommunications services in the coastal strip have occurred repeatedly.