Losing lifelines in Gaza
NO BATTERY LEFT
It has been more than a week since Israel cut off electricity, water, fuel and food shipments for 2.3 million people in Gaza, as part of its response to the unprecedented attacks launched by Hamas on October 7. Internet shutdowns have become an all-too-common tool of control in conflict situations around the world. But an enforced power cut takes it to another level entirely. It makes network shutdowns look like child’s play.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk, Human Rights Watch and the International Committee of the Red Cross have all said these cuts amount to a violation of international humanitarian law — in other words, a war crime.
Yet the power is still out. The blackout has caused a cascade of problems for all kinds of systems, from water pumps and sanitation to telecommunications networks, in an already catastrophic situation. Under bombardment by Israel, more than 3,000 Gazans have been killed, thousands have been injured and, according to the United Nations, about a million people displaced.
It is getting more and more difficult for people in Gaza to stay in contact with each other, and with people outside the territory. I spoke with Asmaa Alkaisi, a recent graduate of the University of Washington’s international studies school, who came to the U.S. from Gaza, where she has lived most of her life.