In Gaza, where the ongoing siege has brought unimaginable hardship, journalists now face a near-impossible challenge: reporting amid a total communications blackout. With the internet and phone lines deliberately cut, these reporters risk their lives daily to keep the world informed about the unfolding catastrophe.

The port of Gaza has become a lifeline, the only place where media workers can send out footage and stories via Israeli cellular networks. But even here, the dangers are stark. Israeli warships lurk just offshore, a constant threat hovering mere hundreds of metres away, while the journalists work amid rubble and scarce resources.

A Gaza-based journalist described the desperate measures taken since communications collapsed in the north. Teams have formed emergency groups to gather and transmit information, often relying on scarce transport to bring news from overwhelmed hospitals to the port.

Connectivity remains fragile. Israeli SIM cards barely cover some areas, with patchy signals and painfully slow speeds replacing what used to be reliable fibre internet. This severely limits journalists’ ability to share real-time updates, while the risk of being targeted for using electronic devices looms large.

The Palestinian Telecommunications Authority confirmed the total blackout, marking Gaza’s southern and central regions fully cut off alongside the north and Gaza City itself. This systematic silencing reflects a wider strategy to isolate Gaza and suppress its narrative.

Yet, despite these overwhelming obstacles, Gaza’s journalists persist, determined to pierce the siege of silence and bring the world’s attention to the human tragedy hidden behind the blockade.