Parts of Gaza without internet after cable cut

GAZA: The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in central and southern Gaza on Tuesday as a result of damage to the territory’s main fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

Its telecommunications ministry reported “a disruption in fixed internet services and landline communications in central and southern areas of the Gaza Strip due to a new outage on one of the main routes as a result of the ongoing (Israeli) aggression”.

Laith Daraghmeh, CEO of the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, told AFP on Tuesday afternoon that “one hour ago, we got a new fibre cut, that’s why right now we have no connectivity in south and central Gaza”.

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Daraghmeh recalled that internet services in the two areas had also been cut for six hours on Monday before teams were able to repair damaged fibre optic cables.

Internet and telecommunications were severed in all of the Gaza Strip for more than three days last week after telecoms workers were denied access to a damaged cable, the PA said.

The ministry blamed Israeli forces for the outage, a claim Israel has not commented on.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.