Gaza's blackouts: 'You might be killed for trying to have internet access at public points'
Hana Salah
Palestinian journalist
GAZA HAS BEEN offline completely for days at a time over the past month.
Between 12 and 14 June, there was a full blackout across the the Strip.
It takes me back to October 2023 when Israel's bombardment began and I vanished from the digital world because of the targeting of the main lines providing Gaza telecommunication companies with the internet.
In the face of repeated communication blackouts in Gaza, eSIM cards have become the only lifeline for many.
On 12 June, the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority confirmed that all internet and landline services had been cut across Gaza following Israeli strikes on telecom infrastructure — part of what it described as a 'systematic targeting' that has digitally isolated the territory.
With traditional networks down, digital SIM cards — often purchased abroad and activated by scanning a QR code — allowed some residents to connect to foreign networks, mainly Israeli or Egyptian.
These fragile connections became critical for staying in touch with relatives or reporting the war's realities to the outside world.
Back to October 2023, the network collapsed within days. I could no longer check in with my UN manager to say I was still alive — part of a daily headcount we'd become accustomed to.
I couldn't even share my GPS location as my family and I fled from one strike zone to the next, obeying shifting evacuation orders or sudden strikes. Each move cut us off from what little protection systems we had.
At one point, my manager offered me a satellite phone. But in Gaza, carrying one could get you killed. At hospitals and checkpoints, such devices are seen with suspicion especially by Hamas agents or militants — because they are often assumed to be used by spies. I refused to hold it.
Instead, I relied on an eSIM — a digital SIM card — my American friend Aideen had given me. It worked, sometimes. I'd climb rooftops or stairwells, searching for the faintest signal.
Occasionally, I could send a message, file a report, or simply say: 'We are still here, alive or just send them a funny emoji amid the hell.'
(The editor of
The Journal
was also a frequent receiver of these messages, gifs and emojis.)
But the risk never went away. During blackouts, even holding a phone in the wrong place could invite suspicion — or worse.
To access the internet in Rafah, before it was evacuated, a mobile phone equipped with an eSIM was placed on top of a wooden pole outside a tent. The phone's signal was shared via hotspot to connect the displaced family living nearby.
Aideen Byrne, 29, an international law expert based in the United States and a close friend, has been part of a volunteer initiative called Crips for eSIMs for Gaza.
The group has distributed hundreds of eSIMs to journalists and civilians across Gaza — a quiet but vital effort to keep people connected in the darkest of times.
We moved to new shelter in Deir al-Balah in November 2023, where my family sheltered in the middle of the Strip and the internet was even more unstable. The higher you went, the better the chance of catching a signal using the Israeli eSIM. But our building's rooftop was locked.
Advertisement
One neighbour kindly shared access to their connection — an act of quiet generosity in a war defined by loss.
Weeks later, that rooftop was hit.
Two rockets tore through it and our neighbour who provided me with the internet line was killed with his family while my family survived.
I had just returned from searching for food. As I walked back toward the building, I heard the blast. Smoke rose from where my family had been sheltering. For a moment, I collapsed. My knees buckled under the fear that they were gone.
Seconds later, I ran inside — alongside others — to help pull out the wounded.
Somehow, my family survived.
The strike appeared to target the telecommunications and internet relay equipment on the rooftop — a setup similar to many across Gaza in the early days of the war. These makeshift signal poles were often assumed to be linked to Hamas infrastructure, and as a result, rooftop communication devices became.
In Gaza, for every story I reported, there were others I couldn't get to. Others I couldn't write. Not because they weren't happening — but because we were buried beneath silence.
Fears around Internet cafés
My colleague, the veteran journalist in Gaza Fathi Sabbah, 65, and his family were able to get eSIMs from the same project.
He said internet connectivity when the blackout is forced by Israel is not the only reason for using the eSIMs. He also uses them to access the internet in public places as other access points pose a risk.
Sabbah told me, 'Some public internet access points or cafés may themselves become targets to the Israeli drones.
You might be killed for trying to have internet access there.
'Even going to a café carries real risk to our lives,' he explains. 'Even if there's internet in public cafes, we often avoid these places because they could be targeted — either because someone wanted by Israel might be inside, or simply nearby. Many people have lost their lives just by being there, even though they were civilians.
'We have seen massacres in an internet connection point were people gather around each other to be connected online. No one knows who is with you, so better to get your own internet point in the new displacement area/Tent.'
Ashraf Amra, 38, who is currently reporting from Al-Jazeera has been able to send some voice notes over WhatsApp.
'The situation is very difficult as we are disconnected from the world, and it is very risky to go higher buildings to get better connection for the eSIM,' he said.
Drones are watching us and could doubt our use and target us.'
Other non-journalist civilians developed the use of the eSIMs too – like my friend AlMaza, 29, who was living in a tent near the Philadelphi Corridor, close to the Egyptian border in Rafah. With no stable internet access, her family improvised.
They mounted a phone containing an eSIM on a tall wooden pole outside their shelter to catch even the faintest signal. Using the phone's hotspot connected to a basic router, they were able to distribute a fragile but essential internet connection throughout the tent.
The setup gave them a few hours of connectivity at a time. When the battery drained, they'd lower the phone to recharge it — sometimes using a power bank, sometimes swapping devices.
It was a lifeline not just to the outside world, but to hope.
Salah is a Palestinian journalist and war survivor who reports on economics, conflict and development. Displaced during the Israeli assault on Gaza, she is now based in the UK. Her work has appeared in the LA Times, Al Jazeera, Al-Monitor, Channel 4 and other international outlets.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
31 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Pope Leo flags AI's impact on children's intellectual and spiritual development
Pope Leo XIV has warned that artificial intelligence could negatively impact the intellectual, neurological and spiritual development of young people as he pressed one of the priorities of his young pontificate. History's first American pope sent a message to a conference of AI and ethics, part of which was taking place in the Vatican in a sign of the Holy See's concern for the new technologies and what they mean for humanity. In the message, Leo said any further development of AI must be evaluated according to the 'superior ethical criterion' of the need to safeguard the dignity of each human being, while respecting the diversity of the world's population. He warned specifically that new generations are most at risk, given they have never had such quick access to information. 'All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development,' he said in the message. 'Society's wellbeing depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities' and not allow them to confuse mere access to data with intelligence. 'In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognising the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data,' he said. Leo, who was elected in May after the death of Pope Francis, has identified AI as one of the most critical matters facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labour. He has explained his concern for AI by invoking his namesake, Pope Leo XIII. That Leo was pope during the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and made the plight of workers, and the need to guarantee their rights and dignity, a key priority. Towards the end of his pontificate, Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it. Francis said politicians must take the lead in making sure AI remains human-centric, so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools always remain made by humans and not machines.
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Bodybuilder dubbed ‘She Hulk' beaten to death with hammer at her Costa del Sol home as muscleman husband also found dead
A PROFESSIONAL female bodybuilder dubbed "She Hulk" was found beaten to death with a hammer at her rented Costa del Sol home. Colombian bodybuilding champion Zunilda Hoyos Mendez was found dead yesterday afternoon after detectives went to the property. 5 Colombian bodybuilding champion Zunilda Hoyos Mendez was found dead yesterday afternoon Credit: Solarpix 5 Zunilda, who called herself Amy, had been missing since Saturday Credit: Solarpix 5 She finished second in the NPC Worldwide Latin American Championships in 2021 Credit: Solarpix Her partner's body was found in a bathroom with what police have described as "apparent self-inflicted stab wounds." He has been named as 46-year-old Jarrod Gelling. Zunilda, who called herself Amy, had been missing since Saturday after flying to the Costa del Sol from Dubai. Her relatives described Jarrod overnight as "aggressive" and said they believe he could have lashed out after she told him she wanted a divorce. read more on the sun Zunilda's niece Yuleydis told Malaga-based newspaper Sur her aunt was going to help Jarrod following a knee operation before travelling to Portugal to compete and then going back to Colombia alone after taking the divorce decision. She said: "For my aunt it was the last trip, a goodbye. "She had taken the decision to split from her husband because of his aggressive behaviour. "They had broken up already once and were apart for quite a while but then got back together again to try to resolve things, although the mistreatment continued." Most read in Sport The couple's bodies were found just before 2pm yesterday inside a property on a residential estate. Zunilda's gym companion raised the alarm saying he hadn't seen her since June 14. A National Police spokesman in Malaga said: "The National Police is investigating the death of a man and woman found lifeless at a property in Fuengirola. "In the absence of official identification of the bodies, initial inquiries are pointing to them being those of a 43-year-old woman of Colombian origin and her 46-year-old partner of American origin. "Officers went to the property on a residential estate about 1.45pm after a friend of the woman whose body was found reported her disappearance on Wednesday at the National Police Station in Torremolinos. "Her body showed obvious signs of violence and that of the man's signs indicating a suicide-type death which is something an autopsy will have to confirm." The suspected killer is believed to have Colombian and US nationality. If the woman's death is confirmed as a gender violence murder, it would be the third so far in the province of Malaga and the fifth in Southern Spain's Andalucia region. Spanish news website El Espanol has reported that Zunilda also had more than 100,000 followers on OnlyFans and Fansly. She finished second in the NPC Worldwide Latin American Championships in 2021. Her coach Branden Rey said in an emotional Instagram post: "We had 17 days until we were going to hit the stage and shock the world my friend. "I told you that you could possibly be top 10 in the world by the end of this year and I meant it. "Rest in paradise Amy." Bodybuilder friend and coach Behnaz Azar said in an online tribute: "I don't know where to begin. "My heart is broken, my mind is clouded, and my soul is drowning in shock and sorrow. "Amy - my kind, strong, fierce friend. "The most powerful woman I knew in the world of bodybuilding, yet with the gentlest heart." 5 Zunilda's niece Yuleydis told Malaga-based newspaper Sur her aunt was going to help Jarrod following a knee operation Credit: Solarpix 5 If the woman's death is confirmed as a gender violence murder, it would be the third so far in the province of Malaga Credit: Solarpix
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
UK readying charter flights to rescue trapped Brits from Israel as Iranian missiles fall & US weighs strikes
UK nationals are to be evacuated from Israel by emergency chartered flights out of Tel Aviv. British authorities are scrambling to arrange the planes after they were Advertisement 2 The Foreign Office, led by David Lammy, is finally organising to fetch Brits stuck in Israel Credit: Alamy 2 Brits are to be flown out of Tel Aviv Credit: AFP The UK and Israeli governments are now working together to get Brits out, with No 10 saying the "fast-moving" situation would be closely monitored. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said: 'As part of our efforts to support British nationals in the Middle East, the government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport when airspace reopens, based on levels of demand from British nationals." Brits in Israel were urged to register their presence with the authorities and told they would be contacted with further guidance. The Foreign Office was accused of refusing to draw up evacuation plans. Advertisement They apparently told those trying to flee they should take a risky bus journey to Egypt or Jordan. There was anger that the families of diplomats working at the Embassy in Tel Aviv had been fetched, but most people offered nothing. There are up to 60,000 British citizens who live in Israel, and more are likely to have been visiting as the A Downing Street spokesman said: "We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights." Advertisement Most read in The Sun Breaking More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at
