Great efforts are being made to hide what\u2019s happening in Gaza from the outside world, both by Israel and its western allies.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s minister of communications announced<\/a> on Friday that all internet services in Gaza would be cut off on Saturday; CNN reports<\/a> that internet services there have already been plummeting for the last week. Electronic Intifada director Ali Abunimah recently said on Twitter<\/a> that he hasn\u2019t been able to reach any of his contacts in Gaza for hours.<\/p>\n Even before the internet was cut off it had already been getting harder and harder for people in Gaza to get information to the outside world after Israel cut the enclave off from electricity as part of its \u201ccomplete siege<\/a>\u201d on the civilian population. The outlet Middle East Eye reports<\/a> that it lost contact with two of its journalists in Gaza on Friday. One of them, a reporter named Maha Hussaini, posted a video<\/a> before losing contact in which she said \u201cThis might be my last video, as my phone battery is dying while we\u2019re facing an almost complete blackout.\u201d<\/p>\n As usual<\/a>, Israel has also been targeting members of the press. A Reuters journalist was killed and six others from Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera were injured by IDF artillery fire in southern Lebanon on Friday. Outlets like The New York Times<\/a> and even Reuters<\/a> have refrained from acknowledging the perpetrator of the attack, but Al Jazeera attributes the casualties<\/a> to \u201cshelling by Israeli forces,\u201d citing witness testimony. BBC journalists were also held at gunpoint<\/a> and physically assaulted by Israeli soldiers in Tel Aviv, and it\u2019s probably worth mentioning that these reporters were specifically from BBC Arabic and had Arabic names.<\/p>\n Israel has cut off the Internet in Gaza.<\/p>\n The aim is clear: to commit genocide in a total media blackout.<\/p>\n — sarah (@sahouraxo) October 14, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n