On December 26th Gaza Strip It was dark again. Incessant bombing by the Israeli air force has disrupted access to services telephony AND Internet, disconnecting nearly two million residents from the outside world. It was the eighth massive blackout since October 27, when Israel announcement that its military was «expanding ground operations.» This method has become a weapon of war more to try to silence what is happening in the besieged enclave.
However, Gazans have found a way not to remain isolated. It’s about eSIMa small virtual card integrated into the mobile phones which improves network access. As the military offensive of the Jewish state intensifies, the Egyptian writer and activist Mirna El Helbawi anticipated this connectivity issue and, after the suggestion of one of his followers on X, launched a global donation campaign to maintain the Palestinians communications. According to his NGO, Connecting humanitythey helped between 50,000 and 200,000 people.
«The connection is not stable, but it is stable,» explains Samar Labad, a resident of the city of Rafa, to the AFP agency. “At least we can stay in touch to reassure each other, even if intermittently.” THE telecommunications They are essential so that Gazans know what is happening around them and do not lose contact with their loved ones.
«The Internet is no longer there, but the esim works and I have the whole house in hotspot!»#ConnectingGaza pic.twitter.com/JvSPkgPmZd
— Mirna ElHelbawi (@Mirna_elhelbawi) December 26, 2023
Useful technology
eSIMs are the software version of traditional cards SIM. Instead of being inserted into a mobile slot, the user can simply scan a QR code to activate the plan that connects them to a wireless network. To do this, however, they must first have access to the Internet, which can create initial complications. Second CaretakerIsrael has been «cracking down» on the use of these cards for «nearly a decade.»
The campaign promoted by El Herbawi of Cairo requires the collaboration of donors. They purchase eSIMs from vendors in their countries and send the QR code to the 31-year-old young activist, who activates the card and shares her code with Gazans. The findings lead other residents in the enclave to contact the 11 activists they comprise Connecting humanityreplicating a process that serves to spread the campaign.
This technologypresented in the company in Mobile World Congress of Barcelona in 2016, thus allows them to connect in ‘roaming’ mode to remote networks – Israeli or Egyptian, to a greater extent – and avoid the block that afflicts the main Palestinian operators of telephony. The price of each eSIM can range between $15 and $100, and its validity period is limited.
Another way to ensure connectivity in Gaza would be satellite internet offered by Starlink, an initiative of Elon Musk. At the end of October, the tech tycoon assured that he would deploy his services to the enclave to assist «internationally recognized humanitarian organizations.» His promise outraged the Israeli government Benjamin Netanyahu, which put pressure on Musk. In late November both sides announced an agreement under which the satellites will be activated only with Jerusalem’s approval. This convinced El Helbawi of the necessity of his campaign.
Communication asphyxiation
On October 11, Israel ordered to stop the supply of electricity, but also food and fuel for the Gaza Strip. Since then, the enclave’s connectivity is less than 30% of pre-war levels, according to data from IODA, Cloudflare and Netblocks. This isolation can be produced by air strikes against operators’ vital infrastructure such as their telecommunications towers, by blocking lines or by fuel shortages, three ways in which Israel suffocates the population of Gaza.
⚠ Confirmed: Real-time metrics show that network connectivity in #Loop The Strip was shut down again; Today’s incident is consistent with previous internet and telecommunications blackouts and will likely leave most residents offline 📉 pic.twitter.com/E8TenF1SXM
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) December 26, 2023
Human Rights Watch warned that the cuts could “cover up atrocities and create impunity,” but also “undermine humanitarian efforts and put lives at risk.” Just hours before Tuesday’s blackout, a hail of Israeli bombs killed at least 80 people in the camp. refugees by Al Maghazi.
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These virtual cards have become an indispensable working tool for emergency services and humanitarian aid. Doctors and NGOs use them to locate attacks and treat their victims. To the workers of UNRWAthe agency of UN who works with Palestinian refugees, helps them organize aid caravans.
Access to eSIMs is also intended to prevent Palestinian suffering from being silenced, which is why journalists use them daily to report on the devastating human impact of Israeli bombing. «Without them we would be isolated from the world,» local journalist Hani al Shaer told AFP. “And no one would know what was happening in Gaza.”
