Networks, Agencies Struggle To Deliver News Coverage Out Of Gaza After Communications Cut
28.10.2023 - 15:03
/ deadline.com
Most international TV networks and news agencies were unable to provide live coverage or video updates out of the Gaza Strip overnight due to communication outages as Israel stepped up its military campaign on the Palestinian territory.
Israel’s intensified bombing and incursion comes three weeks after Hamas’ terror attacks on Southern Israel, which killed 1,400 people and resulted in more than 220 people being abducted and taken back into Gaza as hostages.
Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel announced on Friday night that all landline, mobile and internet had been lost on the Gaza Strip after the Israeli bombing destroyed remaining fiber routes serving the territory.
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The only outlets providing a live video signal out of the territory, were Agence France Presse news agency (AFP) and Qatar-based network Al Jazeera, with the former achieving this via a satellite truck.
Most international news teams are equipped with satellite phones but users often need to stand on a tall building to get a signal, which is not safe to do during a bombardment.
BBC Radio 4’s Today program reported on Saturday morning UK time that it had ascertained that its team in Gaza was safe, but that they were not able to broadcast due to the downing of internet and phone communications.
The program instead read out a brief report filed via text by local correspondent Rushdi Abu Alouf, who is currently working out of Southern Gaza, in which he described “a huge bombardment on the north of the Gaza Strip on a scale never seen before.”
In the final minutes of the program, it was also able to play a recorded update in which Abu Alouf relayed scenes of chaos and desperation as people tried to get news about family