Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, December 16, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, December 16, 2023
Gaza internet, telephones down for third day
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Dec. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections in Gaza enters its third day.
Internet and telephone lines went down Thursday evening and were still inaccessible this morning, according to internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org.
“The internet blackout is ongoing, and based on our records it is the longest such incident” in the over-two-month war, says Alp Toker, the group’s director.
The United Nations’ humanitarian affairs department said communications with Gaza were “severely disrupted” due to damage to telecommunications lines in the south.
