Israeli Attack Cuts Off All Communication Channels in Gaza

Gaza, Palestine – On Friday, October 27, Israeli military attacks severely damaged and cut off all communication channels in Gaza, Palestine. To date, various humanitarian organizations supporting the basic needs of Palestinian civilians have lost contact with their volunteers.

The Secretary-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, reported that they were unable to reach their WHO team and other humanitarian partners in Gaza, Palestine. He expressed his concern through his official account @DrTedros, stating, “We have lost contact with our staff, healthcare facilities, healthcare workers, and other humanitarian partners in Gaza. The blockade makes me very concerned about their safety and the health risks to vulnerable patients.”

Tedros, in his post, also called for the protection and immediate access to humanitarian aid for all civilians in Palestine. In another post, he emphasized that the bombings in Gaza were extremely distressing and finding a safe shelter was difficult.

“Evacuating patients is not possible in such conditions, nor is it possible to find a safe shelter. Power outages also make it impossible for ambulances to reach injured victims,” he added.

Worsening Conditions in Palestine

According to Al Jazeera on October 28, 06:41 GMT, Israeli military bombings continued in northern Gaza. The ground offensive was accompanied by artillery shelling in the eastern Rafah.

“Communication and internet blackout across Gaza has lasted for more than 12 hours, coinciding with increased air attacks, artillery fire, and naval bombardment in various areas,” reported Al Jazeera based on correspondent accounts.

Human Initiative, as a global-reaching humanitarian organization, faced similar difficulties to WHO. Since Friday, October 27, Human Initiative has struggled to connect with humanitarian collaboration partners in Gaza, Palestine. Even today, Human Initiative has not received a double checkmark on sent messages, indicating that the messages have been received.

In these extremely limited and less than ideal conditions, Human Initiative, along with humanitarian collaboration partners in Palestine, continues to make every effort to ensure that this trust reaches the basic needs of survivors, as committed to the Indonesian public.

Sources:

1. https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1717989993577173013
2. https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1718160325323735365
3. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/10/28/israel-hamas-war-live-israeli-bombings-intensify-as-gaza-goes-dark

Image Source:
Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza overnight. (AFP: Yousef Hassouna)