Gaza hit by new outage; Jabalia refugee camp strike condemned

Waiting at the Rafah border crossing

Max Butterworth

Palestinians wait at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip this morning.

Gaza faces another communications ‘blackout’

ASHDOD, Israel — Residents of Gaza appear to have been plunged into another communications “blackout” this morning, with internet and phone services reported down.

“Live metrics show that the #Gaza Strip is in the midst of a new internet blackout with high impact to the last remaining major operator, Paltel,” NetBlocks, a U.K. company that tracks global internet connectivity, said in a post on X this morning. “The incident will be experienced as a total loss of telecommunications by most residents,” it said.

Paltel confirmed the incident, saying there was a “complete interruption” of all telecommunications and internet services in the Gaza Strip “due to the international Lines being disconnected again.”

It comes after people across Gaza lost access to electricity and communication services over the weekend as Israel ramped up its bombardment of the enclave, as well as its ground operations across the border. The incident stoked fears over what would happen if Gazans lost their primary way of communicating with the outside world and sharing what was happening on the ground.

South American countries recall ambassadors, cut ties with Israel

Bolivia said it was breaking diplomatic ties with Israel, citing airstrikes in Gaza, while Chile and Colombia said they were recalling their ambassadors.

Bolivia’s announcement is a step further than the actions announced by Chile and Colombia.

“Bolivia demands an end to the attacks in the Gaza Strip, which have so far caused thousands of civilian deaths and the forced displacement of Palestinians; as well as the cessation of the blockade that prevents the entry of food, water and other essential elements for life,” Bolivia’s minister of the presidency, María Nela Prada, said in a statement.

Israel’s military has said it seeks to minimize civilian casualties and that it is striking Hamas in Gaza. The country’s foreign ministry responded furiously to the news this morning, accusing Bolivia of a “surrender to terrorism.”