Hamas says Israel intends to ‘commit genocide’ after blackout

Hamas has accused Israel of intending to commit “massacres” and “genocide” after cutting off all communications in the Gaza Strip on Friday.

“Cutting off communications from the Gaza Strip and escalating bombing signals the occupation’s intention to commit more massacres and genocidal crimes,” the Palestinian group said in a statement.

Hamas has called on Palestinians in the diaspora, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and those in the “1948 territories” (the term many Palestinians use to refer to Israel, in reference to the 1948 Nakba) to “mobilise” in support of Gaza.

In a statement, the group said it held Israel, the US, and other Western nations that support Israel “fully responsible for the series of heinous massacres” that have been committed against people in Gaza.

The group called on Arab nations as well as the international community to take immediate action to stop the “crimes and massacres” against Palestinians in Gaza.

A Palestinian telecommunications provider said there was now a complete blackout of connectivity in the besieged Gaza Strip.

“We regret to announce a complete interruption of all communications and Internet services with the Gaza Strip in light of the ongoing aggression,” the telecommunications company Jawwal said in a statement on Friday.

“The intense bombing in the last hour caused the destruction of all remaining international routes linking Gaza to the outside world,” it said, adding that Israel’s bombardment and siege had already interrupted communications services in the enclave.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced it is not able to get in touch with its teams in Gaza.

Here is its full statement:

“We have completely lost contact with the operations room in the Gaza Strip and all our teams operating there due to the Israeli authorities cutting off all landline, cellular and internet communications.

We are deeply concerned about the ability of our teams to continue providing their emergency medical services, especially since this disruption affects the central emergency number ‘101’ and hinders the arrival of ambulance vehicles to the wounded and injured.

We are also worried about the safety of our teams working in the Gaza Strip as the continuous and intense Israeli airstrikes around the clock indicate that the Israeli authorities will continue to commit war crimes while isolating Gaza from the outside world.

We call on the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli authorities to provide immediate protection to innocent civilians, medical facilities and our teams.”