Nur Asena Erturk
28 October 2023•Update: 28 October 2023
ANKARA
Israel is seeking “more impunity to commit the worst atrocities” by completely cutting off Gaza’s communications with the world, Spain's acting social rights minister said on Friday.
Ione Belarra's remarks came after the Israeli army announced that its ground forces would expand their activities in the Gaza Strip during the night, a signal that a long-feared ground operation may have begun.
"Israel has cut off all communications in the Gaza Strip. The objective is clear; they want even more impunity to commit the worst atrocities," Belarra wrote in English on X.
"The response of people in our countries must be massive. Not with our silence, not in our name," she urged.
Communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip were completely cut off on Friday evening amid heavy Israeli bombing of feeder lines, towers, and networks, the Palestine Telecommunications Company said.
Ooredoo Palestine, a mobile operator in the West Bank, also said its cellphone services were completely cut off from the Gaza Strip.
The conflict in Gaza began on Oct. 7 when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.
Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine, and fuel, and aid convoys recently allowed into Gaza have carried only a fraction of what is needed.
Nearly 8,800 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 7,326 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis. Some 70% of the deaths in Gaza are women and children, according to official figures.
