Communication cut‑off in the Gaza Strip: "No information can be obtained"

Families with loved ones in the Gaza Strip are living in fear, not knowing the fate of their relatives. The anxiety is exacerbated by the fact that they are unable to establish contact due to disruption of communication facilities following the Israeli shelling. "I don't know whether they're safe or not," confided one individual to CNN.

On Friday evening, Gaza's telecommunications service providers, Jawwal and Paltel, reported that heavy bombings have caused mobile phones and the internet to cease functioning.

A 42-year-old resident of Las Vegas voiced his concerns regarding the safety of his family members in the Gaza Strip, stating, "It feels like we're left in the darkness, not knowing what calamity might be next." He revealed that he is unable to reach his family, not knowing their whereabouts or safety. He added, "The communication blackout makes us fear for the worst."

Similarly, a 57-year-old Canadian citizen expressed his inability to connect with his loved ones, stating "I’m not able to receive any information. About three hours ago, we lost all means of communication. No phones, no internet, not even international lines," he warns.

According to the CNN editorial team, who attempted to connect with several individuals in Gaza on Friday evening through both international calls and WhatsApp, all international calls were met with voicemails or automated messages stating that the dialed number is currently unavailable and to try again later.

Internet-based call and message services such as WhatsApp and iMessage fail to deliver messages, the calls, on the other hand, ring but no one answers.