Gaza blacked out: What we know so far

A communication blackout has taken hold of the Gaza Strip this evening after Israeli airstrikes demolished “all international pathways connecting Gaza to the outside world,” according to a statement by Palestinian cellular communications company Jawwal.

The blackout covered the strip, just as we were communicating with our Gaza reporters over clarifications on stories we are publishing. Communication lines with them stopped abruptly, one following the other. They have been tirelessly responding to our calls and messages, adding information, gathering voices and explaining contexts.

With the blackout, we have little to report from the ground. But we know from statements by Israeli occupation forces that they have launched massive air and artillery strikes ahead of the much-feared expansion of their ground offensive planned for tonight.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that al-Shifa hospital masks Hamas infrastructure, hinting at a possible attack against the healthcare facility. Al-Shifa hospital is one of the biggest hospitals in Gaza, and has been housing people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, mostly from the northern part of the Strip.

Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, which started on October 7, following a series of attacks by Hamas, has been deemed unprecedented by the Strip’s residents. More than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, over 65 percent of whom are women and children.

Residents of Gaza who managed to communicate, either through satellite phones or Israeli SIM cards, have reported “fear and panic” from the current strikes, and what might come after them. They also reported a sudden communication outage.

In a voice message received by Mada Masr, a source in Gaza described the situation as "madness," sounding noticeably shaken.

Activists in Egypt have asked local mobile operators to extend their network coverage to Gaza, saying the measure might be technically possible, at least for the southern part of the Strip.