In Gaza, communication services are progressively restored
After a long break, communication services in Gaza are gradually restarting, which has sparked worries about possible war crime concealment. On Sunday, Paltel Group, the primary supplier of communication services in the area, said that landline, cellular, and internet services would be gradually restored. The continuous fighting has caused disruptions to these services.
Despite the difficult conditions, Paltel Group’s technical staff are working hard to rectify the damage to the internal network infrastructure. For over three hours, there was a complete communication outage in Gaza. According to Palestinian telecom operators, Israeli airstrikes on Friday damaged communication towers and wires, resulting in this outage.
Human rights groups worried that their attempts to record possible war crimes and other atrocities were hampered by the communication blockade in Gaza, notably Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Elon Musk gained notoriety on Saturday when he offered the offer to globally renowned humanitarian groups working in Gaza of using his Starlink satellite internet service. But Israel objected to this action, underscoring how delicate and complicated the issue is.
In light of the continuing violence in the area, the restoration of communication services in Gaza is a major milestone. It is believed that when these services progressively return online, they would help with documenting of events in Gaza for accountability purposes, in addition to facilitating the interchange of critical information.
The technical personnel at Paltel Group have overcome many obstacles, but their commitment to resuming these services is proof of the value of communication during difficult times. It was difficult for the inhabitants of Gaza to contact with the outside world during the blackout, which had left them feeling alone and uneasy.
Gaza’s already critical condition was made worse by Israeli airstrikes on Friday, which damaged communication equipment. It cut off the area’s inhabitants from the outside world and left them without essential communication tools. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were among the humanitarian organizations who expressed worry about the possible repercussions of this kind of isolation.
An intriguing twist to the scenario was Elon Musk’s proposal to provide relief groups in Gaza access to Starlink satellite internet service. Although the goal of this action was to support humanitarian operations, it also caused some controversy in Israel since it added a layer of foreign intervention to the war.
