UN reports 'complete collapse of internet, data services' paralyzing aid operations in Gaza

Gaza has experienced a "complete collapse" of digital infrastructure, paralyzing humanitarian operations and cutting off emergency lifelines for civilians, the UN said on Thursday.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told a news conference that there is "a complete collapse of internet and data services that is paralyzing aid operations across the Gaza Strip."

"Our partners working on telecommunications say that this is due to damage to the last fiber cable route serving Central and Southern Gaza, likely caused during heavy (Israeli) military activity," he said.

Haq stressed that "this is not a routine outage, but a total failure of Gaza's digital infrastructure."

Internet and phone services collapsed across the Gaza Strip on Thursday following Israeli strikes on telecommunications infrastructure, the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said.

In a statement, the authority said Gaza's digital isolation had deepened due to Israel's "systematic targeting" of telecom infrastructure, despite repeated attempts to repair damaged and alternative routes over a prolonged period.

It said that the southern and central areas of the territory had now joined Gaza City and the northern region in a total communications blackout for a second consecutive day.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and aid blockade has led to starvation and fears of famine.