From the Liveblog of
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Aid groups say unable to communicate with Gaza teams after phone, internet services collapsed
The UN health agency and other aid groups say they remain unable to communicate with their teams in the Gaza Strip after phone and internet services collapsed during intense Israeli bombardment.
Tedros Adhanom, head of the World Health Organization, says the blackout has made it “impossible for ambulances to reach the injured.”
“We are still out of touch with our staff and health facilities. I’m worried about their safety,” he writes on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program, says the organization is “extremely worried” about aid workers and civilians in Gaza following the blackout preventing communications with its team.
“As conflict rages on, I am extremely worried for the safety of all humanitarian workers and civilians, she says on X. “We are at a tipping point. Humanity must prevail.”
War erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 2,500 terrorists storm the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,400 people and seizing over 230 hostages of all ages under the cover of a deluge of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities. The vast majority of those killed as gunmen seized border communities were civilians — including babies, children and the elderly.
Israel says its Gaza offensive is aimed at destroying Hamas’s infrastructure, and has vowed to eliminate the entire terror group, which rules the Strip. It says it is targeting all areas where Hamas operates, while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.
