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Gallant said Israel believes that Hamas would confiscate any fuel that enters. He said Hamas uses generators to pump air into its hundreds of kilometers (miles) of tunnels, which originate in civilian areas. He showed reporters aerial footage of what he said was a tunnel shaft built right next to a hospital.
In the midst of the Gaza conflict, a dire situation has unfolded, with an absence of electricity, communication, and water services, leaving residents with limited options. Many found themselves confined to their homes or sought refuge in schools and hospitals, which were relatively safer havens as Israel intensified its bombing campaign on an early Saturday.
Throughout the night, the darkened sky was punctuated by vivid explosions, casting orange fireballs above the city’s apartment buildings and refugee camps in Gaza. These eruptions briefly illuminated the lingering white smoke from prior strikes. Some bombs struck in close succession, indicating precision targeting on specific locations.
The gravity of the situation was further emphasized by Lynn Hastings, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the occupied territories, who noted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the absence of phone lines and internet connectivity crippled the functioning of hospitals and aid operations. The Red Crescent reported its inability to contact medical teams, and residents were no longer able to call for ambulances, forcing rescuers to rely on the sound of explosions to locate the injured. International aid organizations struggled to maintain contact with their teams, managing to reach only a handful of staff members via satellite phones.
The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed deep concern, recognizing that the world was losing its window into the reality of the conflict. It cautioned against the dangers of an information void being filled with harmful propaganda and misinformation.
The loss of internet and phone services exacerbates the strain on an already fragile medical and aid system, which relief workers insist was teetering on the brink of collapse due to Israel’s weeks-long blockade. More than 1.4 million people have been displaced from their homes, with nearly half finding refuge in overcrowded U.N. schools and shelters. Aid workers lamented that the limited amount of aid allowed into Gaza from Egypt over the past week falls far short of the region’s dire needs.
