Hi, I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. Gaza has been has been bombarded, cut form electricity, not received aid, etc. So how do we get pictures and videos of what's happening there? Because surely , Israel would've cut internet at the same time than electricity.
I'm not trying to deny what's happening in Palestine , just understanding better. Where I live there's not coverage or news about it in the media so all I know is from social medias and we all know we can't trust everything on here.
I think that’s a fair question to have.
Palestinians have always had to be creative when it comes to finding ways of survival.
For starters, when this aggression was in its early stages, telecom companies like PalTel would assure everyone that their coverage is built to last longer than other companies because, according to their CEO, they have been preparing for war for 15 years. For example, contrary to what other telecom companies do, PalTel run their cables way deeper than necessary to ensure less effects of bombing.
Later though, even PalTel had to go out of service for the most part due to Israel’s relentless bombing. Not to mention, Israel deliberately targets and kills telecom company workers who even try to repair damages to what remained of the network.
Now, the only viable option that Palestinians in Gaza have to connect with the outside world is in fact through e-SIMs. This initiative was started by Egyptian activist Mirna El Helbawi which you can actually donate to and help connect people in Gaza to reach their loved ones and to get help when needed. We hear stories every day of people not being able to notify the civil defense or medics about wounded people following airstrikes who later succumb to their injuries.
As for electricity, at the beginning of all of this carnage, people would use generators. This is actually quite a normal practice as the electricity in Gaza was never provided consistently so people would switch to generators regularly. However, generators are powered by fuel, which is something else that Israel cut off the strip.
So when people and shops ran out of fuel, people started utilising solar panels and continue to do that as their main source to charge phones. Some people would even start applying a fee to allow people to use their charging stations, which are usually set up in tents or on top of cars. Others would walk miles every day to access free solar powered charging stations to be able to charge their phones.
Still, Israel started targeting solar panels specifically so they are not as widely available as before and the dust and debris from bombing rendered a lot of those panels useless. Some people started using car batteries to set up charging stations now.
With all of that, connections are weak and spotty and some people literally travel to other areas under so much threat just so they can connect and hear the voices of their loved ones. I was actually watching a video earlier today that shows people going on hilltops, raising their arms up hoping to "catch" a signal.
When it comes to the pictures and videos, remember that what you’re seeing, with all its magnitude, is a drop in a sea of Israeli terror against Gaza. Journalists have literally sacrificed their lives trying to get the word out. Kids started to record and share videos because even they realise that this horror is too much for them to bear alone. This is why it is crucial to amplify their voices and share their stories because they’re literally doing it in the most impossible of situations.
