Wide areas of Rafah experienced a full Internet blackout since the afternoon of March 12, 2024, marking a significant disruption in connectivity within the Gaza Strip. This incident is part of a series of telecom and internet blackouts affecting various governorates in Gaza, including Khan Younis, which has been offline for nearly a week amid an ongoing Israeli ground offensive. The blackouts have severely impacted the ability of residents to contact medical and rescue teams. Network data confirmed disruptions to connectivity in the Gaza Strip, with some areas showing signs of recovery. The situation is exacerbated by Israel's bombing campaign against Hamas, which has targeted telecommunications infrastructure, destroying subterranean fiber cables, data centers, and cell towers. Meanwhile, a separate incident on March 14, 2024, revealed a major disruption to internet connectivity in and around West and Central Africa, attributed to damaged undersea cables, affecting multiple countries and operators with significant reductions in connectivity due to multiple subsea cable failures.
Parts of western and central Africa are experiencing internet outages due to a damaged undersea cable https://t.co/aVOYH47eOn
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Internet outage intensifies in West and Central Africa https://t.co/7lIT3fa8c7 https://t.co/FKjYknhsX7
⚠️ Update: Live network data show today's telecoms disruption in #Africa has intensified; the incident has high impact to West Africa with significant reductions in connectivity evident across the continent; operators report multiple subsea cable failures 📉 https://t.co/U9PxSk7CbV
⚠ Confirmed: Live network data show a major disruption to internet connectivity in and around West and Central #Africa; the incident affects networks supplying telecoms via subsea cables to multiple countries and operators 📉 https://t.co/KOfGpjL7jz
As the war in Gaza rages, restoring phone services for residents is a perilous undertaking. https://t.co/RpqJV5i1AB
Palestinians need mobile phones to contact relatives and seek help but "Israel’s bombing campaign against Hamas has pummeled telecommunications infrastructure in Gaza, destroying subterranean fiber cables, damaging data centers and blowing up cell towers." https://t.co/8FI9JZth5f
🚨 Update on Gaza’s telecoms & internet blackouts. The Khan Younis governorate has been offline for nearly a week amid continuation of Israeli ground offensive. The impact of blackouts cannot be underestimated, leaving people in Gaza unable to contact medical and rescue teams. https://t.co/Tdc2tV55nn
A reported #Internet outage in #Gaza is visible in @Cloudflare data between 12:00 - 16:30 UTC. Rafah and Gaza governorates appear to have recovered, while connectivity remains down in Deir al-Balah. Khan Yunis has remained offline since the previous outage on March 6. https://t.co/Bf2uLgRDkz
⚠ Confirmed: Network data show a disruption to connectivity in the #Gaza Strip with high impact to the southern governates followed by some recovery, the second such incident this month 📉 https://t.co/fme89RSuJl
⚡ Full Internet blackout in wide areas of Rafah since this afternoon.
🇵🇸🇮🇱🚨‼️ Full Internet blackout in wide areas of Rafah since this afternoon. https://t.co/T8Mj6a9efB
Full Internet blackout in wide areas of Rafah since this afternoon. https://t.co/2c7WUa6HFR