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Israel-Hamas war

When the phones go dead in Gaza

Communication blackouts have become common since the start of the war in Gaza. Without phones, people can’t call for an ambulance or let their families know they are alive. It hampers aid workers. But Dina Temple-Raston, the host of the podcast “Click Here,” reports that one man has found a workaround.

The World
Illustration by Megan J. Goff

Since the Israel-Hamas war started, there have been frequent communication blackouts in the Gaza Strip.

The initial outages were blamed on Israel, which controls the telecommunication networks in the Palestinian territories. The local cellular provider, Paltel, said that fuel shortages are now to blame.

Without phone connections, people can’t call ambulances or let their families know they are okay. It makes the jobs of aid workers that much harder. It’s added to the despair of those inside Gaza.

Dina Temple-Raston, host of the podcast “Click Here,” looked into the Palestinian network and reports on one way some people have found to stay connected.  

An earlier version of this story appeared on the “Click Here” podcast from Recorded Future News. Additional reporting by Will Jarvis and Sean Powers.

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