Gaza blackout leaves loved ones in the dark

Palestinians living abroad say they are gripped with fear and anguish after losing contact with extended family members in Gaza, after Israel severed communications with the outside world when it destroyed phone and internet services in the embattled territory.

Already in darkness after most electricity was cut off, more than 2.3 million Palestinians were thrown into complete isolation on Friday when Israel knocked out communications services as its air and ground forces stepped up their attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Middle East Eye lost all contact with all its journalists in Gaza on Friday, making it increasingly challenging to document news from the ground.

Abeer Ayyoub, a freelance journalist and long-time contributor to MEE, describes being left in the dark about the well-being and whereabouts of her loved ones following the heaviest night of bombing yet:

My siblings and I had been discussing the possibility of an imminent ceasefire on our family WhatsApp group but suddenly, they all stopped responding to my messages.

At first, I assumed it was due to the blackout they've been experiencing since day 3 of the war, with internet and phone services limited in Gaza because of heavy bombardment that hit telecommunications providers.

Prior to last night, I could reach my family once every two or three days, while some were unreachable since the latest hostilities began.

But the situation became terrifying when news reports indicated that Israeli air strikes had not ceased for hours. Israel later announced its intention to begin a ground invasion in certain areas along the barrier fence with Gaza.

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