UNRWA on Thursday expressed concern that it had “lost all contact” with colleagues in Gaza following the communications blackout.
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 cited by the Anadolu news agency, the authority said the digital isolation of Gaza had deepened due to Israel’s “systematic targeting” of telecom infrastructure, despite repeated attempts to repair damaged and alternative routes over a prolonged period.
Israel bombed Gaza’s main internet line, causing a total communications blackout in the north. All internet and mobile services are down, cutting off journalists, aid workers, and civilians. The UN called it a critical failure and warned local teams can’t fix it without outside… pic.twitter.com/ObkTn5Feo6
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 11, 2025
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 authority accused Israel of deliberately targeting key telecom networks and main fiber-optic routes, warning that the telecom blackout threatens to disconnect Gaza from the outside world completely, and cut off access to critical services such as emergency aid, healthcare, media coverage, and education.
No Contact with UN Staff
The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, expressed concern that it had yet to hear from its staff as of Thursday.
We have lost all contact with our UNRWA colleagues in Gaza, communications have been cut off.
This morning, for the first time in months, we did not receive their morning messages to say, “good morning” and “we are fine/alive”.
We anxiously await to hear from our colleagues. pic.twitter.com/L8xIXolvSl
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) June 12, 2025
“We have lost all contact with our UNRWA colleagues in Gaza, communications have been cut off,” the UN agency said in a statement on X.
“This morning, for the first time in months, we did not receive their morning messages to say, ‘good morning’ and ‘we are fine/alive’. We anxiously await to hear from our colleagues,” it noted.
Only ‘e-SIMS’
According to Palestinian journalist, Hind Khoudary, based in Gaza, only those “who have e-sims have access to the internet.”
Khoudaray said it takes “more than an hour to connect, and another hour to post.”
“But why did Israel bomb the main internet fiber route? Why is Israel insisting on isolating Gaza from the world? So we are now deprived from food, water, electricity, and internet,” she stated.
Only people who have e-sims have access to the internet across Gaza.
It takes you more than an hour to connect, and another hour to post.
But why did Israel bomb the main internet fiber route? Why is Israel insisting on isolating Gaza from the world?
So we are now deprived…
— Hind Khoudary (@Hind_Gaza) June 12, 2025
UN Deputy spokesperson, Farah Haq, said at a press briefing on Wednesday that the “collapse” of telecommunications systems, internet connectivity and emergency communication systems “is a real threat.”
“This would cripple life-saving coordination and prevent affected communities from receiving critical information,” Haq stated.
Over 55,000 Killed
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 55,104, wounding more than 127,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
The bloodshed continued in Gaza on Thursday as Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid near the Netzarim junction, killing 13 and wounding 200 othershttps://t.co/RXBSi6PhO7 pic.twitter.com/iPprKve4FE
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 12, 2025
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(Anadolu, PC)
Of course, because the Israeli Nazis want to murder babies and rape little children while the communications are down so no one sees their blatant pedophilia. Murder the handicapped and elderly, then when they decide to connect everything again, they’ll say look what Hamas did…