Efforts underway to restore telecoms and internet connectivity in Gaza: Palestinian minister
Oct 29, 2023
Gaza [Palestine], October 29: Palestinian Minister of Communications and Information Technology IshaqSidr said Saturday that efforts are being made to restore telecoms and internet connectivity in Gaza, where people have been isolated due to telephone and internet blackouts since last night.
Sidr said in a brief statement that his ministry has contacted Egypt with the aim of opening Egyptian networks in the coastal enclave.
There has been no official confirmation from the Egyptian side yet.
He said the ministry also received approval from Starlink, which is operated by the U.S. private space company SpaceX and provides internet service via a satellite network, adding it is working to secure the entry of the provider's devices into "sensitive areas."
The minister previously confirmed an almost complete interruption of internet and telecommunication in Gaza, as two communications towers in the area came under attacks by Israel, which increased its airstrikes and expanded its ground operations against the Hamas-ruled territory on Friday night.
The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict, triggered by a surprise attack by Hamas on Israeli military targets and towns on Oct. 7, has led to the killing of more than 7,700 Palestinians in Gaza and the deaths of at least 1,400 people in Israel, according to official figures from both sides.
Source: Xinhua
