Hamza says: “One message revives my soul.”
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have fled their homes due to intense Israeli bombing and ground attacks, and are scattered between camps, where their communication with loved ones depends on crippled phone networks.
With the local communications network stopping working almost completely, especially in the northern and central Palestinian Strip, many people are trying to connect to the Egyptian network by standing along the border strip.
Tabsh said, as he recorded a short voice message to his mother and raised his phone in the air to try to catch a signal to send: “Oh mother, how are you? God willing, everything is fine, we are doing well, and I assure you, do not worry.”
The family, which originally lived in Khan Yunis, was dispersed when Israel began to focus its attack on the city, which is the largest in the Gaza Strip, so Tabsh headed to Rafah and his mother remained in the family home.
The fighting and destruction in Khan Yunis has intensified in recent days, and those whose family members are still there fear for their safety.
While Tabsh stood at a high point next to the first barbed wire border fence with Egypt, another group of people sat in the sand writing messages, moving in circles as they talked or holding their phones in the air hoping to catch a signal.
White tents of displaced people are visible down towards Rafah and beyond into the devastated Strip.
Disconnection
For her part, Maryam Odeh, sitting next to the border fence, with concern evident on her face, said that she had also been separated from her family members who remained in Khan Yunis.
She added: “We are not even able to call our families, nor are we able to check on them. I don't know what to say? Someone is crying about the situation we are in.”
The Israeli military operation in Gaza began after a surprise attack launched by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the killing of 1,200 people and the taking of 240 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.
According to health authorities in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, more than 27,000 have been killed since the start of the Israeli military operation, which led to the destruction of large areas of housing and public facilities, and forced 85 percent of the population to flee their homes.
The telephone network in Gaza, run by the local company Paltel, has announced a complete cessation of service more than ten times since October 7, most recently in late January, which it attributed to the Israeli attack. She said that even when her network was partially operational, it faced difficulties in operating service in many areas due to the fighting.
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