Internet and communications outage in Gaza warning of disruption to health services

The Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority announced today, Wednesday, that internet and landline services were cut off in the Gaza Strip and North Gaza governorates.

The authority said in a statement posted on its Facebook page today that the new outage was “due to the ongoing Israeli aggression and the targeting of major network routes.”

This communications outage coincided with a warning issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza of a complete halt to health services due to the ban on fuel supplies. The Ministry of Health stated today, Wednesday, that “the Israeli army is deliberately thwarting the World Health Organization’s attempts to deliver fuel to hospitals in the Gaza Strip.”

The ministry said in a statement posted on its Facebook page today that “the army insists on preventing the World Health Organization from using alternative routes to deliver fuel to hospitals in Gaza and North Gaza.” It added that “blocking the supply of fuel needed to operate generators in Gaza hospitals means a complete halt to health services.”

It indicated that “the crisis threatens to halt the operations of the Al-Sahaba Medical Complex, the General Service Hospital, the Central Oxygen Plant, ambulances, and other hospitals within days.”