Disconnected and Isolated: Israel’s communication blackout in Gaza must end now

Skyline International for Human Rights (SIHR) strongly condemns the Israeli occupation's deliberate and ongoing disruption of internet and telecommunications services across the Gaza Strip. This targeted assault on civilian infrastructure has left the 2.3 million residents of Gaza without vital means of communication, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian catastrophe.

As confirmed on June 12, 2025, by the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (PTRC), connectivity across southern, central, and northern Gaza—including Gaza City—has been entirely severed following intensified Israeli bombardment targeting critical telecommunications infrastructure.

According to reports, more than 400,000 people were deprived of mobile and internet access during these shutdowns—resulting in critical delays for ambulance dispatch, breakdowns in aid coordination, and large-scale isolation in the hardest-hit areas.

This blackout is the latest in a series of deliberate disruptions. During the October 2023 escalation, Gaza experienced a staggering digital shutdown: overall internet traffic plunged more than 80%, and as many as 15 of the 19 Gaza-based ISPs were taken offline at various times due to infrastructure damage, fuel shortages, and electricity blackouts.

These shutdowns are not accidental but are the result of coordinated strikes on fiber-optic lines, cell towers, and ISP offices, compounded by structural constraints. Gaza’s telecommunications system has long been undermined by fuel shortages, import restrictions on essential spare parts, and direct attacks on critical infrastructure. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), mobile operators Jawwal and Ooredoo were operating at just 40–50% of capacity by May 2024, due to severe damage and lack of energy to run equipment.

The consequences of these repeated blackouts are devastating:

• Emergency medical services have been repeatedly paralyzed, unable to dispatch ambulances or communicate with hospitals.
• Humanitarian agencies have been left unable to coordinate relief or assess needs during peak bombardments.
• Families in Gaza have faced agonizing uncertainty, cut off from loved ones amid shelling and displacement.
• Journalists, legal observers, and human rights defenders have been systematically silenced.

In one of the most severe incidents, all telecommunications in Gaza were disabled beginning December 14, 2023, cutting off hundreds of thousands of people from any form of contact. Even international humanitarian operations had to be suspended during that period due to an inability to reach field teams.

Although efforts such as eSIM donations helped reconnect roughly 200,000 residents (about 10% of Gaza’s population), the vast majority remained in digital darkness for days or weeks. The persistent inability to restore full services underscores how deeply the communications ecosystem has been degraded by the blockade, bombardment, and lack of access to technical resources.

These blackouts are not just technological failures—they are a form of collective punishment. The intentional disabling of telecommunications during military operations violates core principles of international humanitarian law. Civilian infrastructure must not be targeted, and civilians must not be cut off from life-saving communication. The right to information, freedom of expression, and connectivity are all fundamental—even, and especially, during genocide.

SIHR urgently calls on international stakeholders—including the United Nations, digital rights defenders, and governments—to:

1. Demand the immediate and unconditional restoration of all telecommunications and internet services in Gaza.
2. Ensure the safe passage of technical personnel, equipment, and fuel necessary to repair damaged infrastructure.
3. Support independent investigations into deliberate communication shutdowns and hold perpetrators accountable under international law.
4. Recognize access to digital communication as a humanitarian right and protect it accordingly.

We strongly condemn the Israeli occupation’s continued use of internet shutdowns and communication blackouts as a weapon of war. These deliberate acts of digital erasure are part of a broader effort to isolate, silence, and punish the people of Gaza.

Read in Arabic / للقراءة بالعربية